Gulf Shores, Ala., is considered "one of the best places in the country to live."
At least, that was the claim expressed by a city official in late August before presenting the "Leading the Way" award to the Gulf Shores City Council.
The award was the result of a 2021 residents' survey in which the city got high marks on almost everything — public safety, trash and recycling, quality-of-life and emergency medical services.
The only bad mark was in "flow of traffic/ease of getting around the city," and it was not even close to being a good score — only 21 percent of respondents reported satisfaction with the traffic, far lower than the southeast average of 60 percent, AL.com reported.
"We got a low rating on that, but we know it's a priority," said Lindsey Hart, Gulf Shores's public engagement manager.
Indeed, city officials are focusing on transportation as a priority and hope some of their plans can reverse the low scores it received.
Gulf Shores's fiscal year 2023 transportation plan, which includes the city's immediate transportation priorities, also was approved at the council meeting.
Meanwhile, Orange Beach, just east of Gulf Shores, saw its fiscal year transportation plan go into effect on Sept. 1.
Those and other cities across Alabama needed to approve their annual transportation plans before Aug. 31 to receive fuel tax revenues as part of the Rebuild Alabama Act, the 2019 law that ushered in a statewide 10-cent-per-gallon tax hike to finance road improvements.
The adoption of the transportation plan in Gulf Shores allowed it to receive $99,754 in the extra state fuel tax revenues, while Orange Beach will get $50,687.
In coastal Alabama, the two beach cities wrestle with major traffic congestion each year as large crowds continue to flock to the state's beaches. Recent state tourism figures show that 8 million people visited Baldwin County in 2021, representing more than 28 percent of all visitors who came to the state last year.
Highway Widening to Soon Commence
In Gulf Shores, its council endorsed a 3 percent increase in the city's lodging tax rate in 2021 to generate enough revenue to move ahead with a road construction plan that includes, among other things, a widening of Alabama Highway 59, the main route leading to the city's beaches.
The highlight of the city's transportation plan is the expansion of Ala. 59 from Coastal Gateway Boulevard south over the W.C. Holmes Memorial Bridge to Fort Morgan Road.
The project includes building one additional lane on southbound Ala. 59.
"We will get started later this year on the Ala. 59 project and that will take about two years to complete," explained Gulf Shores City Engineer Mark Acreman.
"The pedestrian bridge will go to bid later this year if not early next year and that project will also take about two years to complete so all of these projects should be wrapping up toward the end of 2024."
Pedestrian Bridge, Rerouting of Ala. 180 Also Planned
As part of the project, Gulf Shores will remove a bicycle-pedestrian lane off Ala. 59. To accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists who use the Holmes Memorial bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, the city is planning to build a separate structure for pedestrians and bicyclists adjacent to Tacky Jack's restaurant.
"The pedestrian bridge will go to bid later this year if not early next year and that project will also take about two years to complete," Acreman added. "So, all of these projects should be wrapping up toward the end of 2024."
When completed, the pedestrian bridge will rise 74 ft. above the water. Including its ramps, the structure will have a total length of 1,800 ft.
A total of $14.4 million to improve transportation options for visitors and residents was awarded to Gulf Shores by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), through its BUILD Grant program. The money will be applied toward the construction of the pedestrian bridge.
In addition, the city got another $2 million from a grant program administered by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to help fund the Ala. 59 widening project. For its part, Gulf Shores is contributing approximately $15 million in matching costs for the two projects.
Acreman told AL.com that the city also is working with ALDOT to provide a detour route for Ala. 180/Canal Road around the work zone while the pedestrian bridge is under construction. Additionally, a long-term strategy of diverting Ala. 180 traffic from the entertainment district of Gulf Shores is under consideration.
The U.S. Department of the Interior needs to sign off the rerouting of the road through a portion of Gulf State Park, he said. The federal agency is reviewing the proposed Ala. 180 East realignment as well as the city lands offered in exchange for right-of-way connected to that project, Acreman noted.
There is no timeframe for the Interior Department's approval, but he added that "if we do not receive [it] in a timely manner, we will have to route the traffic around the neighborhood utilizing city-owned property. We are developing several options but haven't reached a definitive route yet."
Yet another project on the Gulf Shores's priority list, AL.com reported, is the "Waterway East Extension" — an approximately $20 million connector road from Ala. 59 to East 1st Street toward East 27th Avenue, with the latter roadway extended north around the city's international airport to the Foley Beach Expressway.
Orange Beach Projects on Tap
Nearby in Orange Beach, work has begun on the East Canal Road widening RESTORE grant project from Ala. 161 to Wilson Boulevard.
The 1.4-mi.-long section of Canal Road will be expanded to three lanes to allow for a middle turn lane. A roundabout will be constructed near the public library and a 10-ft. multi-use path will be created on the north side of the road between Callaway Drive and Wilson Boulevard.
Thompson Engineering is the project engineer, and John G. Walton Construction Co. Inc. was awarded the construction contract for $7.36 million. Both firms are located across the bay in Mobile.
Most of the cost for the project will be paid for with post-BP oil spill funds from RESTORE, an acronym for Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourism Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012. The grant will cover $5.9 million.
The city also is looking to restripe Ala. 161 to extend a westerly turn lane from the highway onto Canal Road. No cost estimate has been disclosed for that project.
Kit Alexander, Orange Beach's director of community development, said one of the city's longer-term projects remains the construction of the new Wolf Bay Bridge that would extend from Ala. 161 near Doc's Seafood to Sapling Point on the north shore of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Alexander added that the city is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a permit to move forward with the bridge, once estimated to cost around $50 million. The final design of the structure is on hold until the city receives a permit, she explained.
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