Sorrento Road Needs to be FIXED! Part I: I Heard You Loud and Clear

At my recent town hall meeting (minute 49:30) in Perdido/Innerarity--I heard the citizens loud and clear:  "FIX the Sorrento Road MESS!"

And I have heard from many constituents since then all saying the same thing:  Sorrento Road is dangerous, dilapidated, and insufficient to handle the traffic it currently has--FIX IT!

Sorrento Road is the name of state road 292 that leads from Blue Angel over into Perdido--becoming Perdido Key Drive at the intersection of Sorrento, Gulf Beach Highway, and Perdido Key Drive.

It is a road that is travelled frequently by locals and visitors alike--and it is a road that has a series of tremendous car collissions, including several fatal ones, over the last decade and a half.

At one point from 2011-2014--there was a real possibility of 4 laning Sorrento Road as the part of a larger project to provide a four lane evacuation route from Perdido Key Drive, through Sorrento Road, to Blue Angel, and ultimately out of Escambia County headed East.  That project did not come to fruition and was all but killed upon the changing of Leadership in Escambia's District 2 in 2014.

Meanwhile, the project to improve and 4 lane Sorrento Road has languished far down the priorities rankings on the Florida Alabama Transportation Planning Organization's (TPO) priorities list.  

So I told the audience at the town hall and others who have contacted me about Sorrento Road that now that it is within District 1 and I can lobby for this to be done as the commissioner representing this area and I understand the pressing nature of getting this road enhanced for safety--I am going to work as hard as I am able to get this bumped up on the priority list at the TPO so that this state road can be improved and the carnage on this roadway can end.

At last week's TPO meeting - we had a robust discussion with the panel as well as with FDOT's Bryant Paulk--culminating in my request for a formal safety audint of this state road by FDOT.  The below email was sent after the meeting by county roads division director Chris Phillips to Mr. Paulk:

"Bryant,

 This email is to follow up with written communication regarding Commissioner Bergosh’s request for a safety audit to be conducted on Sorrento Road (SR292) from Blue Angel to Innerarity Point / Gulf Beach Hwy intersection.  As discussed after the meeting, if you could provide results of the prior safety audit, it would be beneficial for my information to see what was examined for increase safety.  It would also be of benefit to see if the addition of the paved shoulders coming with this current mill and resurface project is a result of that previous safety audit.  I anticipate that since construction is about to commence for the mill and resurface and additional turn lanes at Bauer, the safety audit may take place after that construction is complete.  If there is any chance to look at the corridor sooner than later to potentially work some improvements into the current project, we would welcome that..."