State Road 97 (SR 97) is a south-north two-lane highway entirely in
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost and oldest county in the U.S. state of Florida. It is in the state's northwestern corner. At the 2020 census, the population was 321,905. Its county seat and largest city is Pensacola. Escambia County is incl ...
. It runs from County Road 95A, just southeast of
U.S. Highway 29 in
Molino, to the
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
state line near
Atmore, where it becomes
State Route 21. The road runs through the community of
Walnut Hill and serves primarily to connect
Pensacola
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...
to the northwest Escambia County and Atmore areas. In combination with SR 21, the road also provides a connection to
Interstate 65.
Route description
SR 97 heads northwest from its southern terminus at County Road 95A, just east of passing under
U.S. Highway 29/SR 95, in
Molino. The road heads northwest through rural Escambia County and slowly turns into a northerly direction as it approaches
Walnut Hill, north of which it is also known as Atmore Highway. Heading directly north from Walnut Hill, the road meets its northern terminus south of
Atmore at the Alabama state line, where it becomes
State Route 21. SR 97 intersects with several county roads, but does not meet with other state roads or US highways.
The Florida Department of Transportation
annual average daily traffic
Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a ...
(AADT) numbers for 2012 show average numbers between 5,600 vehicles on the southern portion of the road, decreasing to 4,300 vehicles around Walnut Hill, and again increasing to 5,000 north of Walnut Hill, back to 5,600 vehicles at the road's northern terminus.
History
A 1922 map of Florida auto trails shows an unimproved auto trail running from
Quintette, south of Molino, through what appears to be the Walnut Hill area, and then to Atmore. It appears that the portion of today's SR 97 from Walnut Hill (starting around mile 15) to its northern terminus corresponds to this 1922 auto trail. The southern portion also appears on this map, but is indicated as an unimportant road.
In 1935, the current routing of SR 97, from Molino northwest to Walnut Hill, then north to Atmore, was extant as a third-class graded road, and was signed as SR 87 at the time.
By 1955, SR 4 is being shown as a
bituminous
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...
road, with its start at the intersection with US 29/SR 95 (now CR 95A) west of Molino, and traveling its current routing to Atmore. The road intersected what were then
SR 99 and
SR 380 (now both CR 99) around Walnut Hill, and
SR 4 (now CR 4) south of the Alabama state line.
On maps from 1978, the entire road had been paved in hard surface. The state roads it had intersected in 1955 had all been re-signed as county roads, bringing SR 97 to its current form.
Major intersections
See also
*
List of state highways in Florida
The following is a list of state roads in the U.S. state of Florida. Only the length of state-maintained roads is given; occasionally a locally maintained connection is signed as part of a state road.
Routes
Truck routes
These routes are partia ...
References
External links
{{commons category-inline, Florida State Road 97
097
097