CRESTVIEW — The Public Works Department has begun construction on a $2.4 million water well, storage tank and distribution system on Old Bethel Road.
For about two weeks, Evans Contracting crews have buried 10-inch diameter PVC pipe south on the winding country road from the well site at the Old Bethel Cemetery curve. At the same time, Speegle Construction has begun site work for the well and tank.
Okaloosa County officials have indicated the road might one day form the northwest component of a Crestview city bypass route, linking at U.S. Highway 90 with the proposed P.J. Adams Parkway-Antioch Road bypass coming up from the southwest.
City planning officials forecast the city's next wave of growth will occur in the Old Bethel Road area. The Crestview Fire Department seeks funding to build a firehouse on Old Bethel Road to serve the expected growth and existing neighborhoods, including developments off Sioux Circle.
Fire Chief Joe Traylor said Old Bethel neighborhoods are underserved because emergency response vehicles must travel from the downtown or P.J. Adams Parkway public safety buildings.
The new well and distribution system — engineered by water system consultants Tetra Tech — will link with city water distribution lines serving as far south as the Taylor Farms subdivision being constructed on P.J. Adams Parkway, Public Works Director Wayne Steele said.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New well system to support expected growth in northwest Crestview