US 331 Bay Bridge Stays Open for Now — Closure Threshold Is 40 mph Sustained Winds
The Clyde B. Wells Bridge carrying US 331 across Choctawhatchee Bay remains open, but Walton County Emergency Management has clarified exactly what would close it as Hurricane Isaias approaches: sustained winds of 40 mph.
The threshold matters for Freeport. The US 331 bridge is the county’s primary hurricane evacuation route — the corridor that carries South Walton beach traffic north through Freeport to I-10, and the only direct crossing of the bay between the two halves of the county. Once sustained winds hit 40 mph, the bridge is closed to all traffic, cutting off the crossing until conditions improve.
The decision to shut the span is not made by any single agency. Walton County Emergency Management says closure of the bridge is decided jointly by the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement, based on sustained wind speeds. A gust, however strong, does not trigger a closure on its own.
For residents tracking the bridge’s status through the storm, the county is directing people to a real-time closure map at perimetermap.com/walton-fl, which shows road closures, detours and other emergency information across Walton County.
The clarification comes as forecasters expect tropical-storm-force winds to reach the area Friday afternoon and continue into early Saturday morning, with a Hurricane Warning in effect for Freeport and the rest of coastal Walton County. Anyone who needs to cross the bay — in either direction — should plan to do so before wind speeds approach the closure threshold, since once the bridge closes it will not reopen until FDOT, the Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agree conditions allow it.
Originally reported by WJHG Newschannel 7. Image: WJHG Newschannel 7.
