Florida State Road 85

State Road 85, or SR 85, is a north–south state highway that runs from US 98 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida north to State Route 55 at the Florida/Alabama state line.

Route description

From its southern terminus at the intersection of US 98 in downtown Fort Walton Beach to Shalimar, Florida, SR 85 is a six-lane highway with turn medians, accessing local beaches and Eglin Air Force Base. The road runs north through Fort Walton Beach, and the town of Cinco Bayou before crossing the namesake Cinco Bayou Bridge^[1][2], and then through the Ocean City area of Fort Walton Beach. It crosses Garniers Bayou into Shalimar, and thence north onto the Eglin reservation where it becomes a four-lane route with grass median. It then skirts the northwest side of Eglin Air Force Base Main Base,with a grade separated interchange currently under construction for State Road 123 and Northwest Florida Regional Airport continuing as a four-lane divided highway with a 65 mph (105 km/h) speed limit. Looping through Valparaiso as Government Avenue and the John Sims Parkway into Niceville, SR 85 turns north at the intersection with State Road 20, passing College Boulevard and the future intersection with State Road 293 Mid-Bay Bridge Connector, an intersection with the northbound terminus of State Road 123. SR 85 continues north through an intersection serving the cantonment for the 7th Special Forces Group and Duke Field before reaching the Crestview city limits and an interchange with I-10. The road continues through Crestview, the Okaloosa County seat, intersecting U.S. Route 90, and continues north towards Alabama. North of the community of Auburn to the Alabama line State Road 85 is a two-lane rural highway. Just south of Laurel Hill, the road crosses on a bridge the abandoned alignment of a former Louisville and Nashville Railroad branch that paralleled 85 between Crestview and Florala, Alabama.

Plans are to expand this section of highway to four lanes once Alabama completes their State Route 55 expansion to four lanes from south of Andalusia, Alabama to Florala, Alabama. This will provide both a better hurricane evacuation route from Okaloosa County as well as a more direct route to Destin, Florida and Fort Walton Beach, Florida from Interstate 65.^[3]

Future

The entrance to the Northwest Florida Regional Airport is currently being reconstructed at SR 123, a cut-off named the Roger Clary Parkway that by-passes Valparaiso and Niceville, along with an additional flyover, planned to open in October 2012, providing easier access for those going to and from I-10/Crestview and Fort Walton Beach.^[4]

The intersection with 77th Special Forces Way / McWhorter Avenue, serving the 7th Special Forces cantonment and Duke Field is in the planning phases of upgrading it to a freeway grade interchange.^[5]

State Road 85 has a few resurfacing projects planned, with the section from Bill Lundy Road to the Walton County line, planned for 2012,^[6], from US 98 To Richbourg Avenue, also planned for 2012,^[7] and from north of College Boulevard to north of SR 123, planned for 2014.^[8]

Junction list

The entire route is in Okaloosa County.

References