On the intersection of Scenic Highway 30A and Eastern Lake Road in Santa Rosa Beach, the newly completed pedestrian and bike rest area enhances safety and beauty on one of Florida’s most beloved scenic routes. This area, formerly an empty lot, is the latest beautification initiative by the Friends of Scenic 30A at Friend’s Corner, fulfilling their goal of preserving and enhancing the scenic highway.
Designed to improve the experience for cyclists, walkers and furry friends, the rest area features amenities such as a rest bench, bike maintenance station and a water fountain with a pet-watering station. Low-impact lighting and carefully crafted landscaping further highlight the site’s beautification efforts.
“We call it the wedge. It’s been an area of blight for many years.” said Director of Beach Operations Brian Kellenberger. “This area now serves many functions. The first function is it’s now a no parking area. So, we use hardscape and landscape as beautification projects disguised as no parking areas.”
Before the beautification, these areas were used for “haphazard” parking by beachgoers. This created safety issues as well as aesthetic issues with our scenic byways, according to Kellenberger.
Now, the reimagined site is also equipped with several amenities designed to provide comfort and convenience for passersby. For cyclists, there are designated bike racks that offer secure parking and easy access to tools and repair stations for quick fixes. These stations are stocked with basic repair tools, an air pump and other essentials to ensure riders can handle minor maintenance issues on-the-go.
The Friends of Scenic 30A was awarded $50,000 by the board of commissioners to help fund this project. The Florida Department of Transportation paid for the design and planning to be completed by their consultant Kimley-Horn. Dewberry Engineering donated the survey work, and the beach operations crew donated the labor to build, as well as some additional funds.
Cliff Knauer, board member of the Friends of Scenic 30A, is grateful to the beach operations staff for their hard work. “It saved at least $200,000 by them doing [the work] themselves. Any contractor would have charged $250,000 to do the work,” he said.
Friends of Scenic 30A is a volunteer organization that oversees the Scenic Highway Designation from the FDOT. The 5-member board meets monthly, selecting projects in the 30A Corridor and other corridors that are part of the Scenic Highway network that includes 30A, CR-393 (north to Chat Holley Road), CR-83, CR-283 and CR-395.
For more information on this and other Beach Operations projects, visit WaltonCountyFLTourism.com.