Traffic at US 331 and State Road 20 is already a problem, Walton County Commissioner Dan Curry told fellow commissioners. And more growth is coming.

Now Walton County is making improvements at the Freeport intersection a top priority as the county looks to state and federal leaders for support.
During the Walton County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Aug. 11, Curry, who represents District 1, raised concerns about traffic at the intersection where two of Freeport’s major roadways meet.

“The intersection of 331 and 20 is already problematic with traffic and there is more growth coming,” according to the county’s meeting record summarizing Curry’s comments. Commissioners then voted unanimously to place improvements to the intersection among Walton County’s top state and federal legislative priorities.

The commission’s action does not approve construction at US 331 and SR 20. No project design, construction schedule, cost or funding package was presented as part of Curry’s discussion.
Instead, the vote elevates the intersection on the county’s legislative priority lists, identifying it as an issue Walton County wants pursued at the state and federal levels.

Drivers should not expect construction to begin as a result of the Aug. 11 vote. But the action signals that county leaders see traffic at US 331 and SR 20 as an infrastructure issue significant enough to warrant higher-level attention. US 331 is Walton County’s primary north-south corridor, linking communities north of Choctawhatchee Bay with Freeport and South Walton.

State Road 20 runs east and west through Freeport, placing their intersection at an important crossroads for residents and businesses moving throughout the area. Curry’s comments also tied the existing traffic problem directly to what lies ahead: continued growth.

What improvements Walton County ultimately hopes to secure for the intersection and how quickly those improvements could advance were not specified during the discussion.
Those are the questions that come next.

HWY 331 will continue following plans for the US 331 and SR 20 intersection as Walton County develops its state and federal legislative priorities and more information becomes available.
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