Navarre Beach Bridge converting to one-way traffic after Blue Angels show Saturday
Following the Blue Angels air show on Saturday, the Navarre Beach Bridge will be closed to southbound traffic and both lanes will be converted to northbound travel, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office.
The switch will occur at approximately 3:45 p.m. as part of an effort to help move thousands of air show attendees off Pensacola Beach and the surrounding area. The traffic pattern change was originally planned for 2:45 p.m., but was pushed back due to a weather delay in the air show.
Beginning at 3 p.m., the Florida Department of Transportation will alter the traffic signal patterns based on trafficvolumes. The primary signals controlled will be at the causeway and U.S. Highway 98 and at Gulf Beach Boulevard and U.S. 98.
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Although the Blue Angels have been flying over Pensacola Beach since Wednesday, Saturday marks the official Pensacola Beach Air Show.
Traffic getting on and off the beach on air show days is heavily congested, as the performances are attended by tens of thousands of viewers.
In a dress rehearsal Friday, the Casino Beach parking lot adjacent to the center point of the show was full by 7 a.m.
For those hoping to avoid at least some of the traffic, the Santa Rosa Island Authority will offer free bus and trolley services to shuttle people to parking lots across the beach.
Buses and trolleys will service passengers from Park East and Park West to the show center at Casino Beach throughout the day. Passengers will only be picked up and dropped off at designated trolley stops.Post air show, trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna in front of Sideline’s Sports Bar and the Hampton Inn (facing east). Trolleys servicing Park West will be staged on Fort Pickens Road in front of the Surf & Sand Hotel and The Sandshaker (facing west).
Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup, trolley service to the access road stops (Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.
Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses leaving Casino Beach post show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show, riders should expect to wait 90 minutes or more for the trolleys or buses to return to Casino Beach if they are not on the first trip out.
The SRIA reminds the public to use the designated pedestrian crosswalks only when navigating the island.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show 2024 Navarre Bridge southbound
