Site Navigation Alabama Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee     U.S. Highway 98 Westbound (Santa Rosa County) U.S. 98 West Westbound U.S. 98 at the northern beginning of Florida 87 in Navarre. Florida 87 is the main north-south route between the Santa Rosa Coastal vicinity and Interstate 10. Trailblazers are shown for the Garcon Point Bridge/Florida Toll 281, which is located about 15 miles or so to the west. Photo taken 06/01. Junction Florida 281 Toll & Interstate 10 shield assembly for the Garcon Point Bridge on U.S. 98 (Gulf Breeze Parkway) westbound. The 1999 completed two-lane span of the Garcon Point Bridge extended Florida 281 southward along Avalon Boulevard from Interstate 10 (Exit 22) to Santa Rosa Island. Photo taken 05/09/04. Florida Toll 281 travels 11 miles northward from U.S. 98 (Gulf Breeze Parkway) to the Exit 22 diamond interchange of Interstate 10. Garcon Point Road (Santa Rosa County 191) stems northeast from Avalon Boulevard north of the span to Exit 27 of the freeway. For motorists destined for Tallahassee, a 14-mile drive to Interstate 10 awaits. Photo taken 05/09/04. The northbound beginning of Florida Toll 281 departs U.S. 98 and the Santa Rosa peninsula to the north. The two-lane span carries a $3.00 toll for all passenger vehicles. Florida Toll 281 splits with Garcon Point Road for Avalon Boulevard in 7.1 miles. Photo taken 05/09/04. Traveling west from Florida Toll 281 and the Garcon Point Bridge to Oriole Beach on U.S. 98 (Gulf Breeze Parkway). Photo taken 05/09/04. Santa Rosa County 191A spurs southward from U.S. 98 along Oriole Beach Road to Bay Street along the Intracoastal Waterway. There are two segments of Santa Rosa County 191 in the area (the other being Santa Rosa County 191C). Photo taken 05/09/04. U.S. 98 travels through a segment of the Gulf Islands National Seashore before entering the Gulf Breeze vicinity at junction Florida 399 (Pensacola Beach Road). Pensacola Beach Road provides one of two bridges across the Intracoastal Waterway to Santa Rosa Island and Escambia County 399. The Bob Sikes Bridge spans the waterway between Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach one quarter mile to the south. Photos taken 05/09/04. Westbound U.S. 98 at the Florida 399 (Pensacola Beach Road) southbound loop ramp. A trumpet interchange comprises the junction between the two routes. Florida 399 exists only on the approach to the tolled Bob Sikes Bridge ($1.00 car toll per passenger vehicle). Santa Rosa / Escambia County 399 continue Pensacola Beach Road southward into Pensacola Beach itself. Fishing, sun-bathing, and wind-surfing are among the resort area attractions of Pensacola Beach on the Emerald Coast. Photos taken 05/09/04. U.S. 98 increases in traffic dramatically west of the Florida 399 interchange through the heart of Gulf Breeze. The speed limit reduces from 45 to 35 MPH quickly on the stretch of Gulf Breeze Parkway. Depicted here is a westbound reassurance shield posted after the signalized intersection with Shoreline Drive (Santa Rosa County 30A). Photo taken 05/09/04. Hidden Santa Rosa County 30A returns to U.S. 98 (Gulf Breeze Parkway) via Fairpoint Drive. The loop serves residential areas and marinas of Gulf Breeze along Pensacola Bay. U.S. 98 widens to six lanes through the heart of the congested area. Visible here is a westbound shield at Live Oak Street just north of Fairpoint Drive. Photo taken 05/09/04. On the westbound approach to the three mile long Pensacola Bay Bridge on U.S. 98 (Gulf Breeze Parkway). Warning signs are posted about the bridge length and need to check one's gas. There are essentially no shoulders on the bridge so running out of gas is explicitly prohibited. Tickets are issued for blocking traffic because of a fuel shortage. Photo taken 05/09/04. The four-lane Pensacola Bay Bridge carries U.S. 98 between Gulf Breeze and Pensacola. Speed limits are set at 45 MPH and 35 MPH during inclement weather. The bridge was paralleled by the original two-lane U.S. 98 bridge to the east. However Hurricane Ivan's landfall of September 15, 2004 destroyed several segments of the old span as evidenced in the fifth photo. That bridge was converted into a fishing pier. Talks have come and gone otherwise about a six-lane widening or replacement of the current three mile bridge of U.S. 98. Increased growth in the Gulf Breeze area and U.S. 98 along the peninsula overwhelm the span with additional traffic each year. Three ideas have arose about how to handle the issue: 1) widen the existing bridge by building an additional travel lane in each direction. 2) Build a companion span to bridge the total lanes up to eight across Pensacola Bay. 3) Create an entirely new bridge on a different alignment with the intentions of removing the current span. An extension of Interstate 110 also has been considered in the ideas of bridge replacement. Photos taken 05/09/04 & 06/19/05. Page Updated June 19, 2005.