If you are a resident of Niceville, Florida, you cannot help but notice the road construction on Highway 20 and White Point Rd., near the Mid-Bay Bridge. There is a blinking sign that says “White Point Rd Access to Mid-Bay Bridge closing May 12”. In its place, there will be a new route to Highway 20, then eventually to Highway 85, called the “Mid-Bay Bridge Connector.”
Currently, White Point Road in Niceville is the only route to and from the Mid-Bay Bridge. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, White Point Road has a traffic count averaging 18,700 daily commutes. Starting on May 12, this number will drop to just trips going to and from the neighborhoods off White Point Road, such as Meadow Woods, Raintree Estates, Bluewater Bay, The Woodlands, Chardonnay Estates and more. It will no longer be a waiting game to pull out onto White Point Road to get to work, shopping or the beach from those subdivisions. Or, in a broader sense, just think about shaving twenty minutes off your trip to Destin Florida from Crestview. Or to work in Santa Rosa Beach from Valparaiso. Or even from Destin to Pensacola via I-10. It currently takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to points in Crestview from Destin. I am hoping this time is cut to 30 minutes, as the FDOT says 14 traffic lights will be eliminated when the Mid-Bay Bridge Connector is complete in 2014.
For now, what are the Niceville real estate ramifications of the rerouting phase to Highway 20? Houses along White Point Road, or those which back up to it, should see a value increase in the long run. I’ve shown homes along the corridor before. Believe me, it’s harder to sell a property on a busy street. That objection will be eliminated. And what about for home sellers and buyers in the surrounding towns? Since the Mid-Bay Bridge Connector will make commuting times shorter, a wider range of home options will open up for people. For example, if you work in Sandestin, you previously may have felt Crestview was too far to live. Or if you work near the East Gate of Eglin Air Force Base, Santa Rosa Beach might have been too far for you. Maybe not anymore.
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Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.
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Wendy is a short sale and pre-foreclosure specialist and has been featured in "Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine" and "Florida Realtor Magazine". Call Wendy Rulnick, Broker/Owner, to list and sell your home or condo on the Emerald Coast of Florida in Walton, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa County- Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Crestview, Rosemary Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field.
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