Okaloosa Commission approves $1.7M contract for new multi-use path in Niceville

In Brief:

🚴‍♂️ Okaloosa County approved a $1.7M contract for a 2.5-mile multi-use path in Niceville.
💰 The project is funded by a 50/50 split between an FDOT grant and the county’s half-cent infrastructure surtax.
👏 Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel praised contractor C.W. Roberts for its past work with the county.

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SHALIMAR — Okaloosa County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a $1,720,830.92 construction contract with C.W. Roberts Contracting for a new multi-use path in the Niceville area.

The 2.486-mile project will create a continuous path along College Boulevard, stretching from Palm Drive east to Forest Road, and then south to Rocky Bayou Drive. This project has been in development since 2022.

That year, commissioners secured a $1.5 million grant agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation, which required an equal county match. Funding will come from a combination of the state grant and the county’s half-cent infrastructure surtax.

Earlier this year, the Okaloosa County Commission approved a $2.1 million surtax transfer that will be used to fund the project.

Public Works Director Scott Bitterman told commissioners the facility will be 10 feet wide, not 12 feet as previously listed in county documents, and will be funded through a 50/50 split between a Florida Department of Transportation grant and the county’s half-cent infrastructure surtax.

“This is yet another project that’s delivered with the infrastructure surtax, and it’s combined with the legislative priorities approved by this board,” Bitterman said, adding that the contract represents “1.7 million” in local and state investment.

Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel praised C.W. Roberts Contracting’s track record with the county, pointing to recent work on a bike path project and asphalt work at the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport.

“They seem to be great partners,” Ketchel said. “They do a lot of work for us … I really love that company. I have to say that publicly, especially for the commissioners that may not realize we have other choices.”