| Mid-Bay Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Choctawhatchee Mid-Bay Bridge |
| Carries | Florida State Road 293 |
| Crosses | Choctawhatchee Bay |
| Maintained by | FDOT |
| Total length | 3.6 miles |
| Opened | June 1993 |
| Toll | $3 |
The Mid-Bay Bridge or Choctawhatchee Mid-Bay Bridge is a 141-span, 3.6-mile (5.8 km), two-lane toll bridge in Okaloosa County in the Florida Panhandle. It connects U.S. Highway 98 in Destin to State Road 20 in Niceville. The bridge generally runs north–south; the approaches to the bridge carry the State Road 293 designation while the bridge itself carries the TOLL 293 shield.
The bridge crosses Choctawhatchee Bay, part of the Intracoastal Waterway. It was constructed in 1992-93, when the Florida Department of Transportation recognized the growing need for a more direct route between the Destin beaches and the mainland for tourists and to assist hurricane evacuation from population centers and resorts on the Gulf of Mexico.
There is one toll plaza at the north end of the bridge. As of June 1, 2010, the one way toll for a standard 2-axle vehicle was $3.00. Tolls may be paid with cash or with the SunPass electronic toll system.
The Mid-Bay Bridge Connector is an extension of State Road 293 currently under construction north of the bridge span. The first phase of this project changed the alignment of State Road 293 from White Point Road to a newly constructed divided highway to the east. This highway provides a new grade separated interchange at Lakeshore Drive, providing access to the bridge's administration building and the Maxwell-Gunter Military Recreation Area (Mid-Bay Shores). The first phase of the project opened with a grade separated interchange with State Road 20 in Seminole. This section opened to traffic on May 12, 2011. The current termination of the connector is at Range Road in Niceville. Construction is continuing on the remainder of the connector from Range Road north. Currently there is no additional toll for the Mid-Bay Bridge Connector.
The remaining phases of the connector project will extend the highway as a four lane divided highway with Open-Road Tolling (ORT) from State Road 20 to a grade separated interchange at Range Road, then as a two lane road north of Range Road with provisions for eventual expansion to a four lane divided highway. The plans include an intersection at Forest Road, and grade separated interchanges at State Road 285, and State Road 85.[1]
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