End in sight for Back Beach Road construction headaches

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Cones, detours and flat tires have become a daily headache for drivers on Back Beach Road in Panama City Beach, but officials say the end is in sight, and smoother commutes are ahead.

“I try to avoid it,” said driver Esther McClung.

“We’ve got a lot of blown out tires,” said Derick Billings, a mechanic.

The Florida Department of Transportation is widening U.S. 98 from four to six lanes from Mandy Lane to the Hathaway Bridge. The $169 million project is broken into three phases.

The first stretch, from Mandy Lane to Nautilus Street, was completed this past summer - a year ahead of schedule. The second phase, from Nautilus Street to Richard Jackson Boulevard, began in 2023 and is expected to wrap in late 2027. The third and final segment, from Richard Jackson Boulevard to the Hathaway Bridge, just began and is expected to finish in 2030.

FDOT spokesperson Ian Satter says money from the state’s Moving Florida Forward Initiative allowed that final phase to start early.

“As funding becomes available, that’s how we’re able to start these projects, and the availability of the Moving Florida Forward project to be able to include this final segment of US-98 allowed us to actually begin that project much earlier,” Satter said.

The project also includes drainage upgrades to move stormwater off the roadway, plus rebuilding the driving surface.

Satter says crews are working to try to speed up the timeline.

“As we look at these other projects, we’re constantly working with our consultants, our contractors to look at ways that we can improve the efficiency of the building process to see if we can speed it up,” Satter said.

McClung is one of many drivers eagerly waiting for construction to wrap up. “The faster the better,” she said.

However, Satter urges drivers to slow down and pack their patience through the work zone.

Ahead of the holidays, most lane restrictions will happen overnight to lessen impacts.

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