Lower speed limit to remain on section of Back Beach Road

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A 2.5-mile stretch of Back Beach Road will permanently remain at a lower speed limit that was adopted as part of a recent construction project.

The Florida Department of Transportation recently completed a traffic study along Back Beach Road from the Thomas Drive flyover to Hills Road, and determined that the stretch from Richard Jackson Boulevard to Hills Road warrants keeping the 45 mile per hour limit instead of going back to the 55 mile per hour limit that was in place before road work.

The DOT determined the segment of the road east of Richard Jackson Boulevard warrants the 55 mile per hour speed limit.

Panama City Beach City Community Redevelopment Area Manager John Alaghemand said city officials support the lower speed limit along the congested part of Back Beach Road for safety reasons.

“Really, the way that improvements are happening along Back Beach Road, I don’t see any reason to increase the speed limit unless we go to a six-lane road,” he said. “That could warrant increasing it.”

He said people often surpass speed limits.

FDOT officials informed the city in an email of the change in the speed limit.

“The speed study has been completed and signed and sealed by a professional engineer and the necessary regulatory documents have been processed,” the email states. “It is important to remember that as part of speed studies there are many different factors considered such as side street and driveway connection density, actual operating speeds, crash history, roadside offsets and clear zone hazards, as well as traffic signal system operation. Based on these factors it was determined that the above recommendations were most appropriate in promoting safety and efficiency of the overall corridor.”

Tanya Sanders Branton, a public information specialist with the DOT, said the agency continues to monitor roadways throughout the district for safety, and this corridor was one that needed to be evaluated.

She said the lower speed limit in the high-volume area of Back Beach Road is needed for safety reasons.

“It will stay at 45 miles per hour in that area where Chick-fil-A and Publix are located,” she said. “It is due to high traffic volume due to the current development, as well as future development in that area.”