Florida State Road 293
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 15.4 mi[1] (24.8 km) | |||
| Existed | June 1993–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 98 in Destin | |||
 SR 20 near Niceville | ||||
| North end |  SR 85 in Niceville | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Okaloosa | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
State Road 293 (SR 293) is a 15.4 mile (24.8 km) major thoroughfare, extending from
Route description
State Road 293 begins at the intersection with Hutchinson Street and
History
The State Road was established in June 1993 when the Mid-Bay Bridge was opened. Originally, the northern terminus of the road was at the toll plaza at the northern end of the bridge. The northern approached was accessed via White Point Road. In 2011, the road was opened to SR 20.
State Road 293 was extended around the Niceville area in 3 stages, starting with an extension north to Range Road, completed in 2011[
Summertime traffic concerns
The high demand for the Mid-Bay Bridge has caused many backups on SR 293 in both directions due to the high amount of cash users and the lower speed limit in the SunPass lane. Mostly throughout Florida, the speed limit in the SunPass lanes are 25 MPH, whereas this one is 15 MPH. Motorists attempted to use local roadways as alternative routes to the delay, but the high demand for access created additional congestion. As a remedy to this, the southbound entrance ramp from Lakeshore Drive was closed on select days from 12 PM to 6 PM. Also, variable-message signs were placed north of Florida State Road 20 in summer 2017 to inform drivers that the exits provide local access only and are not to be used as detours.[6]
Toll-by-plate controversy
When the roadway first opened, the electronic tolling point east of Niceville was not adequately marked, and vacationers without a SunPass were confusing it with an error in the toll payment on the Mid-Bay Bridge. Many were receiving bills in the mail, along with a $2.50 administrative charge. Changes were not made to the signage until 2016.[7]
Major intersections
The entire route is in Okaloosa County.
| Location | mi[8] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SR 30 | |||||
| 0.982 | 1.580 | Southern end of limited-access section | |||
| Legendary Marina Drive | Northern terminus of Wuerffel Way; southern terminus of Spence Parkway | ||||
| Choctawhatchee Bay | 0.982– 4.631 | 1.580– 7.453 | Mid-Bay Bridge (toll; cash or SunPass) | ||
| | 5.43 | 8.74 | Lakeshore Drive – Maxwell Gunter Recreation Area | Interchange; southbound entrance ramp closed during peak tourist season hours | |
| | 6.28 | 10.11 |   Single point urban interchange | ||
| | 7.53[1] | 12.12 | Range Road | Interchange | |
| | 9.8[1] | 15.8 | Spence Parkway Toll Gantry (SunPass or pay-by-plate) | ||
| | 12.9[1] | 20.8 |   SR 285 to I-10 east – Niceville, Mossy Head | Interchange | |
Trumpet interchange ; current northern terminus | |||||
| |  SR 123 | Proposed interchange (unfunded)[4] | |||
SR 30) | Proposed connection (unfunded)[4] | ||||
| Navarre |  SR 87 | Proposed interchange (unfunded)[4] | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
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References
- ^ a b c d e Google Maps distance
- ^ Mid Bay Tolls
- ^ Google (2010-07-11). "overview map of State Road 293" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
- ^ a b c d NFTCA Master Plan Ch4
- ^ "Endangered species help preclude Eglin bypass road". 21 November 2017.
- ^ Victora, Wendy (August 11, 2017). "Motorist alert: Residential road closures planned near Mid-Bay Bridge". Northwest Florida Daily News. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ Finley, Jeremy (November 5, 2015). "More than 51,000 Tennesseans received collection notices after vacationing in FL". Nashville, TN: WSMV-TV. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ FDOT straight line diagrams Archived March 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 2014