MILTON — Milton and Santa Rosa County officials hope the Florida Department of Transportation will consider connecting the city with Bagdad through safe pedestrian passage.
As part of the Transportation Alternatives Program with the FDOT, county officials seek funding to engineer a path that connects the communities.
While Milton and Bagdad are easily accessible to motorists, Milton Planning Director Randy Jorgenson said traveling to and from these areas is not practical or safe for pedestrian traffic.
“Most people would only have had that experience once … they would say ‘I’m not going to do that again,’” he said.
Jorgenson referred to the three bodies of water to cross when commuting between the communities. While it might be safe for drivers, the same isn’t true for residents looking to cross those areas, especially with limited shoulder space for pedestrians.
“They make it real hard for pedestrians or bicyclists currently going between Bagdad and Milton, simply because there are already constrained corridors, and people … will find themselves in harm’s way.”
With assistance from the SRC Board of County Commissioners, Milton officials hope to connect such a pedestrian path along Henry Street, near the West Florida Railroad Museum.
According to SRC Transportation Director Shawn Ward, the county has consistently submitted the project for TAP since 2010. With Bagdad Millsite Park’s expected opening, Ward said the connector could be crucial to allowing residents access to the park, which is anticipated to host educational and community events in the near future.
Ward said several other factors must be considered, including compliance with the American Disabilities Act and storm water drainage. Those issues can be addressed through engineering and planning, which Jorgenson estimates could be around $200,000.
While both officials consider the application process competitive, Ward said the brick road along U.S. Highway 90 in East Milton and the sidewalks around Spencer Field in Pace have benefited from the FDOT program in the past.
In addition to providing residents safe pedestrian passage to and from the communities, Jorgenson said connecting the historical areas would benefit heritage tourism.
“Part of what we are doing is to affect the consumer profile and to get the traveling public to stop,” he said. “Heritage tourism are people who come to communities with the intent of doing just that. They buy gas here, they eat here (and) they shop here.”
Jorgenson said the Milton City Council has already shown support for the connector project through a letter to the county, containing the signature of Mayor Wesley Meiss.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Walking, biking path between Milton, Bagdad still needed, officials say