![PJ Adams Parkway in Crestview is packed with traffic. The two-lane road will soon be widen to help with the flow of traffic. [DEVON RAVINE/DAILY NEWS]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-8e9838e7-9f2c-3379-e053-0100007f60cb-8f647b94-scaled.jpeg)
CRESTVIEW — With the first phase of the new southwest bypass project set to begin, residents of the city are sharing their thoughts on the idea.
Opinions of a new bypass are, unsurprisingly, mixed. They range from a belief that the bypass will help the flow of traffic to skepticism that the bypass will ever be completed.
“I have lived here 17 years now and the city has doubled in size but we haven’t had the ability to flow traffic,” said Crestview resident John Mayfield. “We’re getting backed up and we need to do something about it.”
Mayfield's statement is a common consensus among Crestview residents, who also debate whether or not the proposed route is the best route available.
The bypass will run from PJ Adams Parkway to north of U.S. Highway 90, including a new Interstate 10 interchange at the parkway. The east-west connector will stand about 1.3 miles north of I-10 and run between the Arena Road section of the bypass and Physicians Drive.
Jason Sharp, a resident of north Crestview, said he doesn’t think the proposed route will suffice.
“Whether you widen PJ Adams or not, the bottleneck areas are at the PJ Adams intersection (of State Road 85) and the I-10 intersection (of State Road 85),” Sharp said. “Until you do something at those two points, you’re not solving the congestion on 85.”
Beth Brant, on the other hand, believes the new routes will help reduce the traffic and could possibly help revitalize U.S. Highway 90 with more commerce and business.
“I think it will help immensely to keep some people on the west side by allowing people out near Baker to get to the interstate or the other side of town without having to get on 85 and that has to be an improvement." Brant said. “Obviously it is not the only answer but I think it will help with the total volume of traffic.”
Some residents don't believe the bypass will even be completed.
"I’ll believe it when I see it,"Christopher Shimeld said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Residents have mixed feelings on new bypass