Escambia County Hosts Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Olive Road

Escambia County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 21 at 1 p.m. for Olive Road near the retention pond located at 7965 Kipling St. Speakers included Chairman and District 4 Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender and City of Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson who were joined by Representative Michelle Salzman, Florida House District 1.

“The Olive Road ribbon-cutting marks a milestone in roadway improvements for this part of the district 4,” said Chairman and District 4 Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender. “There have been safety upgrades including the realignment and signalization of the Johnson Avenue at Harbour Square Drive intersection, sidewalk installation with handrails for pedestrian safety, ADA compliant curb ramps for accessibility, new asphalt and striping increases vehicle safety, with increased visibility for bicycle lanes, and the traffic signals at Ninth Avenue and Johnson Avenue at Olive Road have been integrated into the Traffic Signal Operation Center (TSOC) which will improve traffic monitoring. I am very proud to announce that this project has been completed.”

The $12 million project was broken into two phases, with the first phase completed in 2018 and the second phase completed this year.

“You enter public service to make a difference, and for my 12 years of service as a County Commissioner, I consider the improvements on Olive Road my second greatest accomplishment, after securing RESTORE funding,” Mayor Grover Robinson said. “The time and energy that this project required are immeasurable, and I’m so excited to see the final product as Olive Road becomes Escambia County’s first ‘complete street. I’m glad to see such a vital connector in our community become safer for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.”

Improvements include:

• A roadway upgrade from a rural two-lane roadway to an urban three-lane roadway;
• A major safety upgrade with the realignment and signalization of the Johnson Avenue at Harbour Square Drive intersection;
• Drainage improvements, including retention ponds, will reduce current flooding occurrences and allow for future drainage project connections. The Ferry Pass community will benefit from the fifth drainage project now that the drainage on Olive Road has been upgraded (Ferry Pass Zone 5, Boyd Avenue from Raines Street to East Olive Road drainage tie-in). This project will pick back up in design very soon.
• Sidewalk installation with handrails providing increased pedestrian safety;
• ADA compliant curb ramps and other accessibility improvements;
• New asphalt and striping, which increases vehicle safety with increased visibility and provides for bicycle lanes;
• Integrated traffic signals at Ninth Avenue and Johnson Avenue at Olive Road into the Traffic Signal Operation Center (TSOC), which will improve traffic monitoring and safety;
• A parking lot for people who want to use the walking track around the retention pond.