CRESTVIEW — Barricades guiding traffic around road work near the State Road 4-U.S. Highway 90 intersection have been replaced by barriers that allow greater visibility.
The original New Jersey median barricades were too high to allow drivers turning left from S.R. 4 onto U.S. 90 to see oncoming traffic, according to Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles, who said he fielded several calls from concerned motorists.
In addition, drivers said the barricades — also known as K-wall barriers, initially placed to guide westbound U.S. 90 traffic through construction — had a difficult-to-negotiate pattern, according to Boyles.
“The barriers created a hazard for those headed west on 90 because of the proximity to the travel lane and a sharp jog in the road,” Boyles stated in an email.
“In the first 24 hours when the barricades went up, they were nice and clean, but then you could see where they got scuffed up by what looked like a semi had hit them,” he said.
“It’s really hard to tell how they’ll work when you design them sometimes,” Florida Department of Transportation construction engineer Eric Benson said. “We had some people tell us there was a problem, so we responded.”
The DOT's contractor replaced the New Jersey barricades, literally overnight, with low-profile wall barriers.
The new barriers are just 1 foot, 6 inches tall; the New Jersey barricades were 2 feet, 8 inches tall.
The department also redesigned the westbound U.S. 90 route; the adjustment to the driving lane now is more gradual.
Boyles said the quick response is further evidence of a closer partnership between the department and Okaloosa County.
“The DOT has really shown themselves to be a good partner for Crestview and Okaloosa County,” Boyles said. “We’re starting to see a lot more projects coming our way.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Department of Transportation lowers barricades for motorists