Eastern Shore MPO has officially adopted the Baldwin County Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity Plan, focused on providing connectivity, safety and additional modal choices to residents and visitors across the county.

Led by the Baldwin County Trailblazers and facilitated by Baldwin County Commission, planning efforts began back in 2020 but were ultimately halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2023, ESMPO and the planning group picked up where they left off to complete and finalize the effort. All 14 municipalities were invited to participate (12 did) in identifying bike and pedestrian routes, along with any improvements needed to produce countywide connection. ESMPO hopes this plan, approved at its Wednesday, April 24, meeting, will help encourage walking and biking as viable options for commuting and recreational purposes, supporting health and wellness with safe and accommodating infrastructure.

"It's very important to us to have the connectivity and really be able to connect the county, bring people together and allow people to use alternative forms of transportation," MPO Director Sarah Hart Sislak said.

Municipalities will be able to use the countywide connectivity map as a reference to help guide future developments and grant applications. ESMPO states in its resolution that it will also use this as a planning guide to gain benefits and strengthen the quality of life within Baldwin County.

"It's probably going to be many, many years before we get this true connectivity. It will depend on grant opportunities that are focused on bike/ped and multimodal," Sislak said. "Obviously, the more grants out there, the more possibilities there are to complete some of these connections. I do believe since we've had so much buy-in from the municipalities in the county, whenever they do pursue grants for things like this it will be something from this plan."