Gulf Shores bridge project delayed by Orange Beach toll bridge negotiations

By Melanie LeCroy / melanie@gulfcaostmedia.com
Posted 8/4/21

A third access point on and off the island has hit a roadblock. A proposed bridge connecting the Foley Beach Express to State Highway 180 East was put on hold Friday just as the project was to open …

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Gulf Shores bridge project delayed by Orange Beach toll bridge negotiations

Posted

A third access point on and off the island has hit a roadblock. A proposed bridge connecting the Foley Beach Express to State Highway 180 East was put on hold Friday just as the project was to open to bids.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said in a statement that he was approached several months ago by the Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC) with ideas on expanding the existing bridge at their expense, allowing Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to avoid the expense of building a new bridge into Gulf Shores. The BCBC pledged to allow Baldwin County residents to use the bridge for a minimal monthly fee and they would make a substantial payment to Orange Beach if their ideas can be implemented.

In a statement Friday, July 30, Kennon said that Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper agreed to a three-month negotiating period with the BCBC, and ALDOT temporarily suspended the process to take bids on the new bridge that were to open July 30.

“We have new owners of the BCBC who have expressed a willingness to work as a constructive part of the transportation network moving traffic across the Intracoastal Waterway. Let’s give them a chance. With that said, there is no assurance that the negotiations will succeed; however, if we can solve this problem with private investment and redirect millions of dollars to more important needs, then Orange Beach and the entire state of Alabama, including its beaches, stand to benefit,” Kennon said.

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft expressed his disappointment regarding the delay in a statement released just hours after Kennon’s. Craft said the current owners of the BCBC have been negotiating with ALDOT on various alternative plans to the free bridge since purchasing the toll bridge in 2018.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn through a statement released by Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon that this project has been delayed, once again, after three years of fruitless negotiations with these new owners. The transportation issues we are working to solve impact Gulf Shores as much as any community and it is totally unacceptable that we are not directly involved when decisions like this are made,” Craft said.

According to Craft, over 50,000 cars cross the W.C. Holmes Bridge in Gulf Shores each day while only 11,000 cars pay to cross the Beach Express Toll Bridge. The proposed free bridge could relieve traffic congestion on Highway 59 and provide a third access on and off the island and serve as an evacuation route.

“The BCBC and the city of Orange Beach earn millions each year off the toll bridge operation, so it is obvious why they are attempting to broker a deal to keep ALDOT from building a new free bridge,” Craft continued. “Additionally, according to Mayor Kennon’s statement, this proposal would allow BCBC to expand their private toll bridge and include a “substantial payment” to the city of Orange Beach. This proposal may be in the best financial interest of BCBC and the city of Orange Beach but placing coastal Alabama’s transportation fate in the hands of a private toll bridge company is not a good deal for the people who live and work here or the millions who visit Alabama’s beaches each year.”

ALDOT’s new bridge is designed, the right-of way and permits acquired and funding is in place. The three-month negotiating period should end in October.