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a diagram of the new design and read a history of the
Hathaway bridges. |
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The
Need for a New Bridge
The present
day US-98 Hathaway Bridge between Panama City and Panama City
Beach was opened to traffic in 1960. By 1970, an average 15,600
vehicles were crossing the bridge each day. The number doubled
by 1982 and approached 57,000 by 1998.
The Hathaway
Bridge has been a transportation bottleneck since the late
1980's, but the problem runs much deeper than travel delays:
- Congestion
on the narrow bridge causes traffic accidents and
injuries; the resulting gridlock slows transportation
and commerce over a much larger area.
- From
1993 to 1997, a total of 416 traffic accidents occurred
between the western bridge approach at Woodlawn Avenue
and the eastern approach at College Drive. The accidents
resulted in 442 injuries and a total economic loss
of approximately $28 million dollars.
- The
bridge provides no refuge lane for stalled vehicles,
and has no sidewalk or protected lane for bicycles
and pedestrians. The bridge's low clearance impedes
marine traffic.
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Project over time the economic loss from traffic accidents and
lost business -- then allow for the cost of living -- and the
$86 million dollars being spent to replace the bridge becomes
a very logical investment.
The new
Hathaway Bridge will handle more traffic with greater efficiency,
provide increased safety margins, contribute to the entire
area transportation network, and improve the overall experience
of visitors to greater Panama City:
- An
estimated 97,700 vehicles will use the bridge every day
by 2020
- The
new bridge includes protected lanes for bicycles and pedestrians
- A
higher vertical clearance will allow for freer flow of marine
traffic
- New
recreation areas will be located at both ends of the new
bridge
- Less
congestion means more visitors will stop at area businesses
The new
Hathaway Bridge will be a beautiful new landmark for Bay County;
it will stimulate area commerce by moving more traffic through
the area. Bay County will begin to see the benefits when the
first of the two new spans opens in Winter 2002 or Spring
2003.
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