From the County's Press Release:
Escambia
County District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh and county staff invite the public
to a ribbon cutting for the Perdido Key Multi-Use Path Tuesday, July 23, at 11
a.m. The ribbon cutting will take place at the Perdido Key Visitors Information
Center, located at 15500 Perdido Key Dr.
"The
multi-use path is a fantastic amenity for Perdido Key," Commissioner
Bergosh said. "I'm excited to officially open it up during our summer
season, where residents and visitors can get outside and explore the area's
natural beauty, and I'm thrilled to see the multi-use path already being
well-used by pedestrians and bicyclists. This is the culmination of years of
hard work, and I'm thankful to our staff for their diligence in completing this
project."
The Perdido
Key Multi-Use Path was identified as a priority in the Perdido Key Master Plan,
along with the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization’s 2018-2022
Pedestrian/Bicycle Master Plans.
The multi-use
path is designed for pedestrians and bicycles, with motorized vehicles
prohibited. The Perdido Key Drive Multi-Use Path East project extends from
River Road to the western boundary of Perdido Key State Park, spanning 4.26
miles in length. The western portion of the path runs approximately 2.3 miles
eastward from the Florida-Alabama state line.
This project
aims to provide better connectivity along Perdido Key, while providing
opportunities for alternative means of transportation such as walking or
biking. With the completion of the Perdido Key Multi-Use Path, residents and
visitors can more easily access and travel between residential, commercial and
recreational areas throughout Perdido Key.
The Perdido
Key Multi-Use Path project also includes an extensive wildlife mitigation
program to protect critical habitat for endangered species.
Hi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteCouple of asks of you if you’re coming to Perdido on Thursday- before I heap praise on the PKMUP in the second part of this post.
As you’re headed over the Baars Bridge, both coming and going, please take second to check out the overgrowth along the easements adjacent to the bridge. It’s been years- no exaggeration- since FDOT has maintained the area (the orange jumpsuits used to do it more frequently). FDOT’s maintenance plan is to let it grow during summer and hope that a hard freeze kills it in winter. Regardless, it looks awful year-round, and it’s made its way from high grass and a few saplings to invasive vines and pine trees that obstruct traffic views as you pull off of Gongora, 4-foot-high weeds as you approach the bridge, etc. I know this isn’t within your jurisdiction of responsibilities, but we need help getting in touch with the right people who can help. First impressions are everything, and the impression of the key, for both the residents who live here, the locals who frequent, and the tourists who bring in millions of dollars for the county, is one of indifference as far as care and basic maintenance goes. People remember the first thing they experience in a sequence- sort of a halo effect- and for someone new to the area, we don’t present a very pretty picture as they approach their vacation destination, or as they leave it, for that matter.
I’ve contacted your office before asking for help with no reply, and maybe that’s because you have no control over this. I understand, no judgement. We’re simply looking to either get in contact with the right people at FDOT or draw attention to the issue. I’ve hacked at weeds myself to make the sight-line better as we leave the key, but it’s beyond the scope of what I can handle at this point.
As for the PKMUP, I hope this project, as simple as it is, will be transformative, in terms of connectivity, health and fitness, quality of life. If you’ve spent any time in Atlanta, The Beltline is an excellent example of how transformative a simple multi-use path can be. It encourages young and old to get out, get moving, meet other people, visit local restaurants, shops, food trucks. It increases access to jobs, our greenspaces, and just general opportunity. The PKMUP could become the Piazza of Perdido Key, and an everlasting attraction for locals and a lure for visitors. The Beltline hosts walking and biking parades, running clubs, sunrise hikes, popsicle carts, and most importantly IMO, public installations of art. I’d love for there to be a Triumph-funded project to get large-scale sculpture installations, calling on local and national talent, placed periodically along the path. In abstract, some could tell the story of Perdido Key- of why it was dubbed “lost key” to begin with, of Rosamund Johnson’s brave sacrifice, of Ivan’s destruction, etc.
Lastly, I understand that there’s a speed study being done on the key, focusing on the area between the Baars Bridge and River Road. I’m not contesting that speed is an issue (and that the crosswalks continue to be confusing to drivers), but I would like to point out that lowering the speed limit from 45 to 35 means that Perdido Key Drive will then be open for use to the hundreds of golf carts (or LSVs- technically speaking)- that occupy Lost Key and Serenity neighborhoods. I’m not sure that that wouldn’t be swapping one safety issue for another. Just putting that out there in case it wasn’t part of the analysis.
Hope to make it Thursday, but in case I don’t, please convey this resident’s thanks to those involved! It took less time to build the Panama Canal than it did to synthesize the PKMUP;) Kudos to all- here and gone- who got it done.