Crist breaks ground for SR 85-123 interchange (VIDEO, PHOTO GALLERY)

Several small piles of dirt outside the Northwest Florida Regional Airport on Thursday signified the beginning of one of the largest transportation projects in Okaloosa County.

Gov. Charlie Crist dug in the first gold shovel to kick off construction of an interchange at State Road 85 and State Road 123 near the airport to relieve congestion and improve safety.

View a photo gallery of the ground breaking »

Since the project was proposed in 2005, local officials worked to get construction started, thinking the project would begin in 2012. But with federal money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act made available to Florida, the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization pushed for an earlier schedule.

View a video of the ground breaking »

“We made this a top priority,” said Fort Walton Beach City Councilman Bill Garvie, chairman of the TPO. “It’s the most important thing for our area with troops coming in and for general safety on the road.”

The $32.4 million project is scheduled to be completed in April 2012.

In addition to interchange, work will include widening SR 85 to six lanes between General Bond Boulevard and the airport.

“The reconstruction is all about jobs, boosting the local economy and providing much-needed transportation improvements in the region,” Crist said. “Thanks to this project, Florida’s roads will be safer and less congested for families, businesses and tourists.”

Crist was joined by Florida Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Kopelousos and Col. William S. Porter Jr. of Eglin Air Force Base.

“With Eglin going through mission changes, this project is great for the community and for Eglin,” Porter said of the Army 7th Special Forces (Airborne) making their way to a new home south of Crestview in 2011. “This is the proverbial ‘win-win’ situation for everyone.”

An estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people will move to area when the Special Forces group arrives.

According to DOT district spokesman Tommie Speights, more than 30,000 drivers a day travel through the SR 85-123 intersection.

“The congestion here in the area was causing issues not only on the roadway, but at the airport,” Speights said. “It was important on the project list to improve safety.”

Utility and drainage work near the intersection began in late summer.

During construction, no lane closures will be permitted on northbound SR 85 between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. or on southbound SR 85 between 6 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

“We are focused to make sure people can go to where they need to go and get to where they need to get when they need to get there,” Crist said. “These improvements will get us there.”