The Baldwin County Commission approved a measure to eventually improve beach access from Interstate 65.
The Baldwin Beach Express II Access Management Plan is a 25-mile, multi-lane, divided highway. Funding is not available for the project, but Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood told 1819 News the move was a step in the right direction.
“If we can show good faith by having a good access management plan, then we're trying to attract the interest of Federal Highway and the Alabama Department of Transportation into being interested in this and figuring out a way to get it built,” Underwood said. “We need ways to get people in and out of the county safely.”
Baldwin County Engineer Frank Lundy said the project will improve traffic flow.
“This is very important for planning and growth in Baldwin County,” said Lundy. “With the adoption of this new plan, we avoid plugging up intersections and public safety concerns.”
The county approved an updated access management plan to better acquire the rights-of-way. The old plan would not have allowed landowners’ access, so Lundy said the new plan will.
The project is designed to reduce congestion, support emergency evacuations, and help guide future growth. The updated plan includes safer access through proposed interchanges, right-in and right-out access for some properties, planned median openings for safer U-turns and a traffic signal at County Road 68. Planned interchanges include I-10, Truck Trail 17, County Road 112, U.S. Highway 31, Novelis, and I-65. It also considers future growth and sets a plan for future transportation improvements.
Underwood said $4 million has been approved for right-of-way aquisitions along the southernmost two-mile segment between Interstate 10 and Styx River. However, the roadway development will be a multi-year, multi-phase project.
“I think it's the best thing that we've done because we actually have a vision of how we can get this done,” Underwood added. “You know, we don't have any money to get it done, but if we don't have a good plan, then nobody's going to want to help us get it done.”
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