Florida Department of Transportation has announced that work will begin this month from State Road 85 in Crestview down to State Road 123.

This is a $25 million safety improvement project in Okaloosa County.

Improvements consist of resurfacing and improving an 11-mile section of S.R. 85 between S.R. 123 and Hospital Drive in Crestview.

• The project also includes improvements at the S.R. 85 and I-10 interchange and access management upgrades at key turn lanes, side streets, driveways, and median openings.

Additional improvements will include drainage upgrades, new curb and gutter, and traffic signal improvements.

During construction, there will be periodic lane closures, lane shifts, and temporary changes in the traffic pattern. The project is estimated for completion in mid-2023.

Here’s a look at the improvements:

• Milling and resurfacing throughout the project limits.
• Enhancing access management at the following key locations to include new turn lanes, turn lane extensions, and directional median openings.
  • Antioch Road/ Live Oak Church Road: Median realignment to increase visibility. Additionally, new Antioch Road eastbound right and left turn lane to access S.R. 85.
  • John King Road: Improvements to be made by Okaloosa County during project construction timeline.
  • Cracker Barrel Drive/Southcrest Drive: New directional median opening. Left turns are permitted from S.R. 85 to access the side streets, however, side street traffic will be restricted to right turn only (no median crossing).
  • S.R. 123 to Shoal River Bridge: Multiple new median openings to allow U-turns for S.R. 85 north and southbound.
• Improving the I-10/S.R. 85 interchange to increase capacity, traffic flow and safety. Improvements include:
  • Adding a second left turn lane from S.R. 85 northbound to access I-10 westbound.
  • Extending the S.R. 85 southbound turn lane to access I-10 eastbound.
  • Adding a second left turn lane for the I-10 westbound off-ramp to access S.R. 85 southbound.
  • Widening the I-10 eastbound off-ramp to include a “free flow” right turn lane to S.R. 85 southbound.
  • New retaining wall beneath the overpass to accommodate the widening.
  • Drainage improvements.
• Signalization upgrades at each of these five signalized intersections:
  • Antioch Road/Live Oak Church Road
  • P.J. Adams Parkway
  • John King Road
  • I-10 interchange
  • Mirage Avenue