Century Secures Finances To Rebuild Long-Closed Freedom Road Bridge

April 8, 2026

As of January 29, 2026, the Freedom Road bridge in Century had been closed for six years, and the town has finally solved a funding crisis and awarded a construction contract. But its funding may fall short just shy of opening the bridge.

The town council voted Tuesday night to award the $1,612,966.06 contract to low bidder F&W Construction Company, but the town only has about $1 million remaining.

The 2023-24 Florida budget included a $1,257,000 Legislative appropriation to replace a town-owned bridge, and the acceptance contract was inked in early October 2024. After design and permitting, about $1,067,788 remained for construction when bids were opened October 2025.

Now, consultant engineer Dale Long has worked with F&W to lower the costs. Once the contract has been awarded, a change order will be issued to cut the total bid by $325,716.47 to lower the construction cost to $1,287,249.59. Long and Mayor Ben Boutwell worked with Escambia County to secure a $300,000 pledge.

The remaining grant funds, reduced contractor cost, and $300,000 from the county will be enough money to demolish the existing bridge, build the new bridge, and maintain or relocate existing utilities owned by the town. But it will not be enough to open the bridge to the public.

As required by the state grant, the town will be responsible for contracting with an engineering firm for the Construction Inspection (CEI) at an estimated cost of $100,000 to $200,000.

Additional funds will be required to construct the roadway and site improvements before the bridge could be opened to the public. However, the partial funding approach will allow the town to utilize the grant funds that are available before they expire and would pay for the costliest portion of the construction.

“The hope would be that additional funding could be secured to complete this work in the near future,” Long said.

“We are going to help, but we’re going to try to keep working the number down as much as possible,”  District 5 Escambia County Commissioner told NorthEscambia.com just minutes before Tuesday’s Century Town Council meeting.

Pictured: The Freedom Road bridge in Century, which has been closed for over six years,

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES