![There will be some inconvenience for PJ Adams Parkway drivers during construction, Okaloosa Commissioner Nathan Boyles said, but the road will remain open. [File photo]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-750e54cf-efab-264b-e053-0100007f5a1c-e4415ac3.jpeg)
CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County approved financing for phase three of the PJ Adams Parkway project early this year, but construction of the road won't begin until 2019.
County Engineer Scott Bitterman said that the county is currently waiting on a 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers—a permit that is designed "to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including wetlands," according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's website.
After the county receives the permit, Bitterman said they would begin the process of "bidding" the project, which is the process of advertising the project to construction companies.
Bitterman said there is no estimated time-frame on when they will receive the permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, but according to a presentation given to the Crestview city council on Aug. 13, the county anticipates bidding to begin by the middle of October, which would mean construction could begin in January 2019.
Earlier this year, County Commissioner Nathan Boyles said construction should begin at the end of this year, but Bitterman said the the project would likely begin in 2019 because of the time length required to complete all necessary tasks before beginning construction.
"We would start construction about four months after we get the permit," Bitterman said.
The project will turn the PJ Adams Parkway into a four-lane road from Highway 85 to Wild Horse Drive.
The three phases of the project will begin at the same time to attempt shortening the construction time, Bitterman said.
The first phase begins on State Road 85 to Key Lime Place, the second phase is from Key Lime Place to Ashley Drive, and the third phase is from Ashley Drive to Wild Horse Drive, which is where the project ends.
Construction on the road is expected to last about a year, Bitterman said.
Public Works Director Jason Autrey spoke to the Crestview city council on Aug. 13 about the possibility of expanding the construction to the entire southwest corner of Crestview.
"We're very optimistic on how we can get that funded and move forward," Autrey said.
The additional phases, phases four and five, would extend from Wild Horse Drive and stretch all the way to U.S. Highway 90 and a portion of Rasberry Road.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: PJ Adams project moving forward, expected to begin in 2019