Gulf Islands National Seashore Beach / Erika Zambello.

Highway 399 (J. Earle Bowden Way) has reopened through Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida. The road between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach through the Santa Rosa area was closed in October ahead of Hurricane Michael making landfall on the Gulf Coast. The hurricane caused significant damage to the road.

Immediately following the storm, park crews found a significant amount of sand and water on the roadways and areas undermined by Gulf over-washes. Following a formal evaluation by engineers, the Federal Highways Administration began the contracting process to repair the roadway. The park prioritized removing damaged asphalt, installing sand confinement systems, and repaving Highway 399 as an evacuation route for local communities. 

The Opal Beach facilities in clusters B and F opened with the road on their regular schedule. Other clusters will open as soon as possible. Repair crews will begin working on bike lanes damaged in the Fort Pickens area in January 2019. 

Created in 1971, Gulf Islands National Seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat.