Pensacola Beach will expand its transit services for the Blue Angels Air Show
Navigating Pensacola Beach during the summer can be painful enough on a good day. To alleviate traffic woes, the Santa Rosa Island Authority announced that it will extend its public transportation hours along the island for the Pensacola Beach Air Show.
Every year, the Blue Angels draw out tens of thousands to the Pensacola Beach Air Show. In 2022, the show broke records when 19,661 vehicles crossed the Pensacola Bay Bridge for Thursday's practice and 19,865 vehicles crossed the bridge for Friday's dress rehearsal.
The SRIA's free, open-air trolleys will begin transporting people at 7:30 a.m. on Friday and extend its range out to Park East, located a mile east of Portofino Resort. The extended route will run until 6 p.m. Afterward, it will resume its regular route until midnight.
On Saturday, the SRIA will add four buses in addition to the three trolleys. Public transportation will begin picking people up at 6:30 a.m. and again run the extended route to Park East until 6 p.m. Afterward, the transit will run regular routes until midnight.
Post air show, trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna in front of Sideline’s Sports Bar and the Hampton Inn (facing east). Trolleys servicing Park West will be staged on Fort Pickens Road in front of the Surf & Sand Hotel and The Sandshaker (facing west).
Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup on Friday and Saturday, trolley service to the access road stops (Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.
Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses leaving Casino Beach post show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show, riders should expect to wait 90 minutes or more for the trolleys or buses to return to Casino Beach, if they are not on the first trip out.
The SRIA also wants to remind the public to please use the designated pedestrian crosswalks only across the island.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Beach Air Show will have expanded transit services