Following the Blue Angels air show on Saturday, the Navarre Beach Bridge will be closed to southbound traffic and both lanes will be opened to northbound traffic, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The change will take place at approximately 3:45 p.m. to facilitate travel from Pensacola Beach and the surrounding area for the thousands of air show attendees. The traffic change was originally scheduled for 2:45 p.m. but was postponed due to a weather-related delay to the air show.
Starting at 3:00 p.m., the Florida Department of Transportation will adjust traffic signal patterns based on traffic volume. The main signal patterns are located on the Causeway and U.S. Highway 98, as well as on Gulf Beach Boulevard and U.S. Highway 98.
WYNTK:
Are you attending the Blue Angels air show in Pensacola Beach this weekend?
Here’s everything you need to know. Although the Blue Angels have been flying over Pensacola Beach since Wednesday, the Pensacola Beach Air Show officially doesn’t begin until Saturday. On air show days, traffic to and from the beach is very heavy, as tens of thousands of spectators attend the displays.
During a dress rehearsal on Friday,
the Casino Beach parking lot next to the show center was already full by 7 a.m.
For those who want to avoid at least some of the traffic, the Santa Rosa Island Authority offers free bus and trolley services that transport passengers to parking lots on the other side of the beach.
Buses and trolleys will transport passengers from Park East and Park West to the show center in Casino Beach throughout the day. Passengers will board and disembark only at designated stops. After the air show, the trolleys serving Portofino Resort/Park East will be located on Via de Luna in front of Sideline’s Sports Bar and the Hampton Inn (eastbound). The trolleys serving Park West will be located on Fort Pickens Road in front of the Surf & Sand Hotel and The Sandshaker (westbound). Due to extreme traffic and congestion, trolley service to the access stops (Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach, and Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6:00 PM. Regular service will then resume until midnight.
Passengers wishing to return to their vehicles after the air show must take the first shuttle bus leaving Casino Beach.
Due to the congestion immediately following the air show, passengers should expect to wait 90 minutes or more for the trolleys or buses back to Casino Beach if they do not take the first departure.
