"Inlet Beach 10 years ago was a tale of two towns, the North and the South." That's how Bryan Corr, the developer of 30Avenue, described the neighborhood to Scenic America in August. He went on to describe an evening pattern he calls "bike-to-dinner" traffic. Around sunset, people ride from the beach neighborhoods south of US 98 to the restaurants and shops on the north side.
The tunnel that makes that ride possible has been open since August 2024. It took a while to catch on. Two things helped: a county fix aimed at the path leading to the tunnel, and the dinner crowd at 30Avenue.
A Safety Crossing That Opened Quietly
The Florida Department of Transportation built the underpass for $5.6 million. It's a 12-foot-wide, 136-foot-long passage for people on foot and on bikes, and it opened to the public on Aug. 28, 2024, according to WMBB's report from opening week. FDOT spokesperson Ian Satter told the station that the legislative appropriation was $5.6 million. Local property owners also donated land, and Walton County was a partner. The county took over maintenance once it opened. The design includes both stairs and a ramp, and the tunnel is lit.
The south entrance is near Shades Bar & Grill. The north side comes out at 30Avenue, the shopping and dining center at 12805 US-98 East.
Then came a slow first year. In January 2026, WJHG reported that the underpass wasn't drawing the foot and bike traffic that county engineers and businesses had hoped for. Leigh Moore, executive director of Scenic Walton, told the station the main reason was simple: visitors didn't know it was there.
The Fix Went to the Path Along 30A
The existing route along 30A kept leading people to the surface crossing. At the Walton County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 28, 2025, Moore asked the board to approve safety measures that would steer people on foot and on bikes toward the underpass. The meeting record lists four parts:
- Remove the existing path along 30A at the intersection.
- Add a push-button crosswalk at the southern cross path, at the underpass entrance.
- Work with 30Avenue's developer to reconfigure the intersection on that side.
- Pay for the crosswalk with Tourist Development Council funds, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. Public Works would remove the old path and lay new sod.
The idea is straightforward. As long as a surface path leads people to a surface crossing, many will keep using it. Take out that path and put a crosswalk at the tunnel entrance, and the underpass becomes the easy way across.
WJHG reported that commissioners approved the funding in November 2025 and that county engineers aimed to finish the work before spring break. In January, County Engineer Chance Powell said he didn't yet know when the rectangular rapid flashing beacon would arrive. That's the push-activated flashing light that tells drivers to stop for someone in the crosswalk.
The Bike Racks Show It's Working
By August, Corr was describing a different scene. "We are seeing more pedestrian and bike traffic since the underpass opened," he told Scenic America. "The visitors to the area are beginning to discover the safer option of crossing the highway."
He also passed along a request from 30Avenue's tenants.
"Tenants have requested more bike parking areas to reduce the number of bikes parked by their front door."
Corr told Scenic America that the highway was never what limited traffic into 30Avenue. People could always get there. More of them simply chose to drive than to walk or bike. That's why the bike racks matter. The tunnel didn't create a new destination. It gave people a different way to reach an existing one, and when bikes start crowding storefronts, it shows they're taking it.
Corr also said the pattern goes both ways. More vacationers are now staying on the north side of 98, and people staying on the south side are biking and walking north to shop and eat. Daytime use is part of it too. The same article says students from Ohana Institute walk through the tunnel to reach nearby beach areas during school activities.
Ten Murals on a 136-Foot Ride
Even in November, sunset comes early, and a lot of the ride to dinner happens after dark. The tunnel's lighting matters for that, and so does the art. The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County commissioned ten murals for the underpass, each 20 by 8 feet. It worked with Scenic Walton, the Board of County Commissioners and the Walton County Tourism Department. The ten artists are:
- Francisco Adaro
- Katherine Boggs
- Heather Clements
- Bradley Copeland
- Olga Guy
- Wes Hinds
- Sarah Page
- Andy Saczynski
- Andrea Scurto
- Lindsay Tobias
That's ten 20-foot walls in a 136-foot passage, so most of the tunnel is painted. A bike ride through takes seconds. On foot, with a beach chair over your shoulder, you have time to look.
Where the Ride Ends in November
At the north end of the tunnel, 30Avenue's directory lists a range of places that covers a full evening, from an early bite to dessert. Hours below are as posted on the center's directory pages. Hours change with the season, so check with each spot before you go.
Dinner
- Aja Elevated Asian: sushi, sashimi, stir-fries and noodles, listed 5 to 10 p.m. daily.
- Cuvee 30A: chef-led dining built around signature seafood dishes, listed for dinner 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
- Amici 30A Italian Kitchen: Italian dishes, pizza, salads and gelato, listed 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- Amigo's 30A Mexican Kitchen: Mexican, listed 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- Proper Restaurant & Bar: food, craft beer and cocktails. The directory points to Proper's own site for current hours.
Before or after
- Obscure Wine Company: wine, cocktails, caviar, cheeses, meats and small plates, listed 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. It's the latest posted closing time at the center.
- Goatfeathers Seafood Market: seafood restaurant, fish market and specialty shop, listed 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. That makes it an early-dinner stop rather than a late one.
- Marble Slab Creamery and Great American Cookies, both listed 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
For the morning version of the ride, Canopy Road Cafe is listed 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily for omelets, French toast, pancakes, salads, sandwiches and burgers.
The 30Avenue calendar also has dated reasons to make the trip this month and next. Start times aren't posted for most listings, so check the calendar or the restaurant before heading out.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Mat Hall + Tim Dutrow, live music
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Dakota Shy wine dinner at Cuvee 30A and a Menagerie dinner at Aja
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Mat Hall + Tim Dutrow return
- Sunday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 29: live music on The Green almost every night, with Sand Ole Opry, Mark Payne, Hunter Dawson, Cadillac Willy, The Salty Strays, the Otha Allen Band at 4 p.m. on Nov. 27, and Tyler James closing out the run on Nov. 29
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving service at Cuvee 30A, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with reservations recommended, per its 30A.com listing
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: PlumpJack wine dinner with Cuvee 30A
The week of Thanksgiving is the busiest stretch on that calendar. It's also when the most people will be crossing 98 at once, on foot, on bikes and in cars. Getting more of those crossings off the road and into the tunnel is the reason the county approved the path changes in the first place.
What's Next on the County's List
Walton County's FY26 to FY30 work plan, approved at the county's final budget hearing in September 2025, includes more pedestrian projects for this end of the corridor. It schedules "Orange Street South Pedestrian Improvements" in Inlet Beach for fiscal year 2027, with $200,000 budgeted. A signalized intersection at CR 30A and South Watersound Parkway is planned for FY28. A US 98 and South Lakeshore signal and pedestrian project, with sidewalk along South Walton Lakeshore and West Park Place, is planned for FY29. These are budget years in the county's work plan, not construction dates. They show where the county plans to keep adding crossings around Inlet Beach.
Living on one side of 98 or the other in Inlet Beach shapes everyday trips, like whether dinner is a bike ride or a drive and how easy the beach is to reach on foot. If that's part of how you're thinking about a home here, Tanika O'Brien and our team know these crossings well and are glad to talk through how each side of the highway fits the way you want to live.
