Escambia Bay Bridge Reopens to Traffic

Chipley-- Motorists traveling Interstate 10 in northwest Florida can breathe a sigh of relief. After being closed for almost two days due to Hurricane Dennis, the Escambia Bay Bridge that connects Escambia and Santa Rosa counties is once again open to traffic. The east and westbound structures were closed early Sunday morning due to winds exceeding 45 mph creating unsafe conditions for crews inspecting the bridge and the traveling public.

A detour route using Davis Highway, U.S. 90 and Avalon Boulevard was set up to get traffic around the bridge until it could be inspected. An inspection was complete today and both bridge structures will open at noon (CST).

The traffic flow is still two westbound lanes and one eastbound. Construction to build a new eastbound bridge is underway and is expected to be complete within a year. A new westbound bridge will follow a year later.

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