Airmen are living in the northern parts of Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County, where housing is more affordable, worsening traffic on local roadways, per a presentation today to the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners by 1st Special Operations Wing Commander Col. Patrick Dierig.
Dierig outlined four priorities impacting mission readiness: the top concern is U.S. 98 traffic; however, he noted that efforts are underway to widen the highway and build an alternative route on the north side of the roadway, enabling base traffic to utilize the Hurlburt’s west gate.
He said it’s essential for SOW1 airmen to be able to respond quickly to missions and that a six-hour delay on U.S. 98 last year could have caused them to fail a mission…