Dear editor,
First, I would like to commend the Milton City Council. I do so, not so much for their protection of any existing buildings, but for the fact that the Highway 90 traffic is only a problem during or around rush hour.
Regarding that fact, the traffic problem is coming from East Milton. So the problem is moving this westerly traffic from East Milton over the Blackwater River, which is the true obstacle for all this east to west traffic needing to just get over the river.
This rush hour traffic is not trying to get to the City of Milton to go shopping downtown. They are trying to get home. Any downtown shoppers will only need to turn left from Berryhill Street onto Elmira Street and travel about a block to find the fountain parking lot across from the courthouse.
The most efficient, cost effective, least cumbersome and only plan that expands the area for downtown businesses is the two, one-way, two lanes of downtown Highway 90 and Berryhill Street, which each can also be easily expanded to three lanes when needed.
If you want a grand road and bridge, nix the four lanes and just go directly to the six lane option directly through downtown. This will allow all of the downtown area needing to be demolished leaving what you want being only a road and bridge.
Maybe the Florida Department of Transportation and Santa Rosa County Commissioners can purchase the old London Bridge, which is now in Texas for our only tourist destination attraction.
STEVEN KING
Milton
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: LETTER: Traffic only a problem at rush hour