Changes

|alternate_name=some segments previously known as Pottery Plant Road and Maura Road

Historically, Fairfield Drive was known as '''Pottery Plant Road'''. It acquired its present name from the fairgrounds used by the [[Pensacola Interstate Fair]], which were located on the thoroughfare between Pace Boulevard and Palafox Street near [[Town & Country Plaza]].

The portion Originally, Fairfield dead-ended at Palafox Street. A short distance north of that intersection, '''Pottery Plant Road''', which ran from Davis Highway to Palafox, also dead-ended at Palafox. Both of these roads were two-lane highways, and in the 1960s this area was known for heavy traffic congestion, often exacerbated by delays caused by trains moving in and out of Fairfield L&N's [[Goulding Yard]], which Pottery Plant Road crossed at grade just east of Palafox. In the early 1970s, a viaduct was built over the rail lines, an extension was built to connect Pottery Plant and Fairfield, and the highway was four-laned between Pace Boulevard and Davis Highway. At this time, the Pottery Plant Road name was dropped. At [[Davis Highway]] was once known as , Pottery Plant Road connected with '''Maura Road''', which was eventually four-laned as well, and became a continuation of the extended Fairfield Drive. Also in the early 1970s, a connection between Fairfield and [[New Warrington Road]] was made by a viaduct over [[Mobile Highway]] (where NWR formerly dead-ended at [[The Circle|the Circle]]). Fairfield was four-laned from Pace Boulevard to Mobile Highway, and NWR was four-laned from Fairfield to its junction with [[Navy Boulevard]]. At the same time, a dog-leg curve and another grade crossing over the [[Frisco Railroad]] near the intersection of Border Street were eliminated by a realignment of Fairfield and the construction of a railroad bridge over the new roadway. These road expansion projects provided a seamless flow of traffic between the southern and western parts of the metro area, including the [[Pensacola NAS|Navy Yard]], and the airport, junior college, and residential and commercial areas of the northeast side, as well as to and from [[I-110]], greatly relieving traffic congestion in that heavily-travelled corridor.