ARMY 7TH SPECIAL FORCES TO GET OVERPASS FOR HWY 85

If you don't think the Army's 7th Special Forces is important to our region and the country. Think again. It didn't take long for the Federal Government to decide how important this overpass would be for our area and the Army. History note. Eglin AFB started as an Army Base. I believe it will come full circle and the Army is sure to play a major role in our local military population. I also believe from the happenings of the world and our military, we should get use to seeing a lot more Army Green than Air Force Blue in the near future. Also, I believe some have talked about Eglin Air Force Base being changed to Eglin Armed Forces Base.

Funding secured for SR 85 overpass
Dusty Ricketts
2009-11-04 19:05:01
CRESTVIEW — Funding has been secured to build an overpass on State Road 85 to reduce congestion as additional traffic arrives because of the bed down of the 7th Special Forces Group.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller has worked to secure funding for the overpass, to be located at SR 85 and McWhorter Avenue, since it was announced in 2005 that the Army’s 7th Special Forces would be headquartered on Eglin Air Force Base.
“We started the process then because we knew there would need to be some type of traffic control device there, and a red light would just slow traffic down and cause more congestion,” Miller said. “An overpass certainly makes much more sense.”
The project will include an elevated road at the entrance to Duke Field that would cross over State Road 85. The restricted road would allow military personnel and equipment to cross SR 85 without impeding traffic.
Miller said the biggest issue with the $15 million project was trying to determine who would fund it. In addition to having talks with the Army and Air Force about it, Miller met with state and federal Departments of Transportation representatives and even county officials.
Ultimately, it was decided that the funds for the overpass would come from the Air Force’s 2010 BRAC budget.
“It could have dragged on for several years,” Miller said. “The idea was to look for funding in as many areas as possible and of course access the first funds to come available.”
With funding allocated, Miller said work will now start on the design of the overpass. Planning is expected to be a relatively quick process as the military already owns the land on both sides of SR 85, so no land acquisition is needed.
Still, no timeline has been announced for when construction is expected to begin.
Construction is under way west of SR 85 on a 600,000-square-foot facility that will serve as the headquarters of the 7th Special Forces. An estimated 5,000 to 6,000 new residents will move to the region when the special forces group arrives in 2011.