“A few months ago, the Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC) approached me with several ideas as to how their existing bridge and additional lanes that they are willing to build might be used to allow the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to avoid the expense of building an additional bridge. After obtaining from BCBC a pledge to allow Baldwin County residents to use the bridge for a minimal monthly fee and to make a substantial payment to Orange Beach if their ideas can be implemented, I approached Governor Kay Ivey and ALDOT Director John Cooper and sought their agreement to negotiate with BCBC.
“I am pleased to announce that the parties have agreed to a three-month negotiating period, and ALDOT has agreed to temporarily suspend the process to take bids on the new bridge it is planning to build.
“We have new owners of 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.”
