CRESTVIEW — When Barbara Fein has a weekday morning doctor’s appointment near North Okaloosa Medical Center, her “back way” route involves U.S. Highway 90, Okaloosa Lane and Redstone Avenue.
It’s a bit convoluted, but it has no traffic signals and doesn’t touch ultra-busy State Road 85. And that’s just fine with Fein.
“The lights aren’t very well synched,” she said. “And people are afraid of the 45 (mph) speed limit so you creep along and always catch the red lights.”
See a photo gallery of alternatives to S.R. 85>>
Fein’s S.R. 85 bypass is one of the creative ways locals avoid Crestview’s only north-south artery. But when it comes to conquering Interstate 10, which forms an east-west barrier through town, options are few.
THE SQUEEZE
Crossing I-10 at its S.R. 85 underpass is often an exercise in patience. Being limited to just two ways of crossing the interstate—the other is the Antioch Road crossover—is frustrating.
For emergency responders, the “85 squeeze” can mean delays.
“Our ambulances all utilize Highway 85,” Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Alvin Henderson said. “Basically it’s lights and sirens usage and having the citizens’ courtesy to let them through.”
Without a light bar and siren to clear the way, the average driver is caught in a traffic morass. A battery of traffic lights half a mile or more on either side of the interstate creates stop-and-go travel at peak periods.
And it’s the northbound evening rush hour that can be most frustrating. For some public safety officials, as well as ordinary citizens, going a little out of their way eliminates stop-and-go stress.
“If it’s 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon, I’ll go through Niceville and come up (State Road) 285 to 90,” Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Capt. Larry Ward, commander of the Crestview station, said. “Once you get to 90, the traffic’s not too bad.”
THE ‘T’
After the I-10 squeeze, the city’s second-worst bottleneck occurs around the intersection of S.R. 85 and U.S. Hwy. 90.
“Basically, the city of Crestview is a big T,” Crestview Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Schneider said. “You’re going to have to go north or south, or east or west, on 85 or 90. Right now there’s really no way of avoiding them.”
“It is what it is,” Henderson said.
When local schools let out in the afternoon, southbound S.R. 85 backups several blocks long begin at U.S. 90.
The congestion then swaps directions as evening rush hour traffic heads north, with cars frequently waiting as far south as the top of the railroad overpass.
The situation is compounded by traffic having to wait for left-turn signals in each direction, “which is why a roundabout would work great there,” Fein said.
GETTING CREATIVE
As long as they don’t have to cross the interstate—which almost inevitably means returning to S.R. 85—savvy drivers get innovative in finding ways around regularly occurring backups.
Mayor David Cadle, for example, has called Industrial Drive, which parallels S.R. 85 from downtown to Airport Road, “Crestview’s best-kept secret.”
Cadle frequently uses Industrial, which follows the old Yellow River Railroad route, to get from downtown to meetings and events in north Crestview.
Ward and his deputies know favorite connectors and neighborhood streets that parallel S.R. 85 to help them bypass congestion when responding to calls.
So does Barbara Fein’s “back way” save any time? She can’t say for sure.
“It feels like it,” she said. “I never timed it. But I don’t care. At least I’m not dealing with 85 traffic.”
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FAVORITE ‘BACK WAYS’
1. Aplin Rd.-Atwell Rd.-Okaloosa Ln.: Connects S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 E., bypassing central Crestview
2. Aplin Rd.-Pearl St. S: Parallels S.R. 85
3. Arena Rd.-Gordon St.-M.L. King Ave.: A little-traveled diagonal route between downtown and S.R. 85 to Antioch Rd.
4. Duggan/McLelland/Griffith/Lloyd: Bypasses S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West intersection from the southwest
5. Fairchild Road: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.
6. First Ave.-Lindberg St.: Cuts the corner of S.R. 85 and U.S. 90
7. Industrial Dr.: Parallels S.R. 85 from downtown to Airport Road, bypassing traffic lights, but has intermittent stop signs.
8. John Givens Rd.-Hare St.: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.
9. Live Oak Church Rd.-John King Rd.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing P.J. Adams and John King backups. But drivers still have to get under I-10 after returning to S.R. 85
10. Okaloosa Lane-Redstone Ave. East: Connects U.S. 90 East with S.R. 85, bypassing northeast Crestview
11. Old Bethel Road: Makes a bypass around northwest Crestview between S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West
12. P.J. Adams/Antioch Rd. Corridor: Widening begins this fall on this southwest bypass connecting S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West
13. Texas Pkwy.-Adams Dr.-Park Ln.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing Stillwell Blvd. backups
14. Valley Rd.-Reinke Dr.-Farmer St.: Connects U.S. 90 E. with Airport Rd., paralleling S.R. 85
CONNECTORS
Connector roads remove traffic from S.R. 85 by providing alternative routes around congested areas
1. Brookmeade Drive: Bypasses S.R. 85 hospital and Juke Hill traffic between Wal-Mart to Aplin Rd.
2. Price-Gregory Way: Bypasses S.R. 85 between Lowe’s and Redstone Ave. W., behind Starbucks and the “Four Story” medical center
3. Crestview Corners Cut-through: Will connect Hospital Dr. and Redstone Ave. E. through Big Lots shopping center parking lot
4. Arena Rd.-Rasberry Rd.: Proposed connector parallels I-10 between S.R. 85 and Antioch Rd.
FAVORITE ‘BACK WAYS’
1. Aplin Rd.-Atwell Rd.-Okaloosa Ln.: Connects S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 E., bypassing central Crestview
2. Aplin Rd.-Pearl St. S: Parallels S.R. 85
3. Arena Rd.-Gordon St.-M.L. King Ave.: A little-traveled diagonal route between downtown and S.R. 85 to Antioch Rd.
4. Duggan/McLelland/Griffith/Lloyd: Bypasses S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West intersection from the southwest
5. Fairchild Road: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.
6. First Ave.-Lindberg St.: Cuts the corner of S.R. 85 and U.S. 90
7. Industrial Dr.: Parallels S.R. 85 from downtown to Airport Road, bypassing traffic lights, but has intermittent stop signs.
8. John Givens Rd.-Hare St.: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.
9. Live Oak Church Rd.-John King Rd.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing P.J. Adams and John King backups. But drivers still have to get under I-10 after returning to S.R. 85
10. Okaloosa Lane-Redstone Ave. East: Connects U.S. 90 East with S.R. 85, bypassing northeast Crestview
11. Old Bethel Road: Makes a bypass around northwest Crestview between S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West
12. P.J. Adams/Antioch Rd. Corridor: Widening begins this fall on this southwest bypass connecting S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West
13. Texas Pkwy.-Adams Dr.-Park Ln.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing Stillwell Blvd. backups
14. Valley Rd.-Reinke Dr.-Farmer St.: Connects U.S. 90 E. with Airport Rd., paralleling S.R. 85
CONNECTORS
Connector roads remove traffic from S.R. 85 by providing alternative routes around congested areas
1. Brookmeade Drive: Bypasses S.R. 85 hospital and Juke Hill traffic between Wal-Mart to Aplin Rd.
2. Price-Gregory Way: Bypasses S.R. 85 between Lowe’s and Redstone Ave. W., behind Starbucks and the “Four Story” medical center
3. Crestview Corners Cut-through: Will connect Hospital Dr. and Redstone Ave. E. through Big Lots shopping center parking lot
4. Arena Rd.-Rasberry Rd.: Proposed connector parallels I-10 between S.R. 85 and Antioch Rd.
FAVORITE 'BACK WAYS' & CONNECTORS
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Locals, public safety officials share tips to avoid Crestview S.R. 85 (VIDEO, PHOTOS)