Redesigning the Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway - Improving Environmental and Cultural Sustainability by Creating Identity

Abstract

The Pensacola Scenic Highway Foundation requested a Master Plan for the redesign of the Scenic Highway corridor that would beautify it, conserve it, and make it an asset to their community and an attraction for out-of-town visitors. The Pensacola Scenic Highway runs along the Escambia Bay Bluffs over the Escambia Bay. The project team made an initial site visit to Pensacola in May 2011 to assess the site and meet the client, then did site analysis and drafted conceptual designs for the corridor, its major entrance points, and the roadside City-owned properties Mallory Heights, Bay Bluffs Park, and Chimney Park. These designs were presented to the City in October 2011, along with preliminary research on mitigating ecological problems in the highway corridor, specifically invasive species outgrowth and erosion. Final designs based on stakeholder feedback from the October 2011 presentation were prepared for the client and presented in April 2012. The overarching theme of these designs was to build a visual identity for the highway that would resonate with motorists and be easily recognizable, yet unique. The final designs beautified park entrances, preserved existing environmental features, showcased sites of historical significance along the highway, improved roadside landscaping, added pedestrian and bike access along the roadway, and used native planting designs to accent park properties and major access points to Scenic Highway. Design proposals for a pedestrian path that would run along the length of Scenic Highway and a trail that would run along an active freight line along the coast of the bay were also prepared. The team also provided a comprehensive research report on how to suppress and remove the more prevalent invasive species found along Scenic Highway, and how best to implement erosion control measures along the bluffs and prevent further ecological degradation of the entire corridor.