'Perry Avenue is way thicker than normal,' Autrey said of the choke point in Fort Walton Beach.Īutrey said the congestion isn't severe enough to change traffic-light timing. The increase is particularly noticeable during the morning and evening rush hours in and around Fort Walton Beach, Autrey said. Highway 98, according to Okaloosa County Public Works Director Jason Autrey. In the meantime, traffic will be noticeably heavier on routes stretching around Choctawhatchee Bay, most notably on State Roads 85 and 20 and U.S.

'Semi-trucks and commercial vehicles will be required to use alternate routes until permanent repairs to the Mid-Bay Bridge are complete,' the FDOT news release said.įDOT personnel and contractors, along with the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority, have been working steadily since Tuesday night to complete repairs. If the bridge does reopen Wednesday night, traffic will be limited to two-axle vehicles such as cars, trucks, SUVs, school buses and limited EMS and first-responder equipment. Each span of the Mid-Bay Bridge has multiple tendons. The steel tendons are pre-stressed steel cables that reinforce the concrete bridge. The bridge was closed Tuesday after a routine FDOT inspection revealed problems with some post-tensioning tendons.

In the meantime, local motorists will note more traffic along some routes, and a few dozen Okaloosa County School District students will continue to get up earlier to catch the school bus. FORT WALTON BEACH - The Florida Department of Transportation is tentatively scheduled to reopen the Mid-Bay Bridge late Wednesday evening, according to a news release from the agency.

Mid bay bridge traffic