ECAT to Relaunch Beach Route 61, Providing Service to Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach

Beginning Monday, Oct. 19,  ECAT will begin the Route 61- Bridge Detour, which modifies the original Route 61 to Pensacola Beach. The Route 61- Bridge Detour will consolidate temporary Route 20 that was created to help transport passengers between Escambia County and the City of Gulf Breeze. The Pensacola Bay Bridge on U.S. 98 was damaged during Hurricane Sally and will be closed for approximately six months, weather permitting, according to a release from the Florida Department of Transportation on Thursday, Oct. 1. ECAT bus fares remain suspended. 

Please see the detailed schedule which starts from the ECAT Transfer Center, located at 1515 W. Fairfield Drive, at 6 a.m. and ends at Palm Beach Club, located on Pensacola Beach, with the last stop at 8:50 p.m. The route from Pensacola Beach starts at Pensacola Beach Club at 6:05 a.m. and ends at the Pensacola Bay Center at 8:20 p.m. Buses will stop at Tiger Point Community Center, Gulf Breeze Hospital, the Boardwalk, and the Palm Beach Club. The route is approximately 43 miles, and riders should expect a trip that is approximately an hour, depending on traffic. Prior to Hurricane Sally, ECAT’s Route 61 traveled three times a day to transport workers and residents to Pensacola Beach.

"We would like to thank our partners at the Florida Department of Transportation, the City of Pensacola, the City of Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, and Santa Rosa Island Authority for making this bus route come to fruition so quickly after Hurricane Sally," said Escambia County Mass Transit Director Tonya Ellis. "The intent is to alleviate traffic on the Garcon Point Bridge and to provide an easier commute between Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. Access to Pensacola Beach is such a vital piece for Escambia County."  

Please call ECAT Customer Service at 850-595-3228 for assistance with a specific route or additional questions. Updated information will also be available at www.goECAT.com.