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story by

 

Liesel Schmidt

 

| photos provided by

 

City of Pensacola

W

hen you get ready to enjoy 

a nice, relaxing day spent 

out at the beach, you pack 

everything imaginable. 

Your car becomes a veritable beach store on 

steroids, its interior nearly full to capacity 

with a plethora of accouterments that hardly 

allow space for your entourage. Water 

toys—check. Towels and blankets—check. 

Sunscreen, chairs, ice-laden coolers stocked 

with drinks and snacks…You get the picture. 

But unless you’ve packed your patience, by 

the time you actually step one tiny bare-

footed toe on a grain of sugary white sand, 

you’ll be burning up with something that has 

absolutely nothing to do with the heat of the 

sun.  

So is the situation faced weekend after 

weekend during heavy beach season, when 

the toll roads siphoning cars in and out of 

Pensacola Beach back up so far that the 

winding string of traffi c spills back into the 

main highways, tying up the fl ow of travel 

for everyone, including those who have no 

intention of hitting the sand. And that very 

frustration served as one of the catalysts 

behind the planning of a ferry system serving 

Pensacola’s beloved Gulf Island National 

Seashore. 

More than just a means to ease the 

traffi c fl ow so commonly tying up the toll 

bridge, the intent behind ferry system is 

also to provide an alternative route to and 

from the beaches by way of Fort Pickens 

Road. And with good reason. Storm after 

storm has battered and destroyed the road, 

closing it for years on end to completely 

block passage and costing countless dollars 

in repairs only to have it close again. But 

with the implementation of ferry service 

being provided from a ferry dock both at 

downtown Pensacola and Quietwater Beach, 

the reprieve whose plans were fi rst proposed 

in the late 1970s is now a reality; and 

temporary terminals are now open and ready 

for passengers. 

In addition to alleviating traffi c from 

cars on the road, service by the ferry will 

signifi cantly reduce the mount of cars 

needing to fi nd parking spaces adjacent to 

the beaches as well as lowering emissions 

Hitting the Beach

Without Hitting the Traff ic

XX-XX AdventureOut.indd   1

7/25/18   2:14 PM