The Baldwin County Highway Department has announced immediate restrictions on the weight limit for the Scenic 98 bridge adjacent to the Grand Hotel Resort & Spa, limiting it to 20 tons. This decision comes in response to a recent safety inspection revealing advanced degradation of certain bridge components due to saltwater intrusion.

The newly imposed weight restriction will still permit the passage of passenger vehicles, school buses and small box trucks. However, larger vehicles such as 18-wheelers, dump trucks, concrete trucks and other heavy vehicles will be prohibited from crossing the bridge. Alternative routes for larger vehicles needing access to Scenic 98 south of the bridge include utilizing Section Street or using US Highway 98 to County Road 32 west.

The implementation of this weight restriction is immediate and serves as a precautionary measure while engineers from the Baldwin County Highway Department, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), and other consulting engineers conduct a thorough analysis of the bridge's condition.

While acknowledging the potential impact on commerce, officials emphasize that the safety of residents and visitors traversing the county's roadways remains the top priority.