Gulf Shores and Orange Beach mayors have expressed disappointment with a new traffic pattern put into place by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) with a new bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) recently weighed in on the controversy on FM Talk 106.5’s "The Jeff Poor Show." While Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft wants to see the new southbound bridge converted into a two-way bridge, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon wants a new bridge built by the northbound bridge near The Wharf.
Elliott said that during the planning process, a second bridge near The Wharf was not an option because the state did not own the property at the time. ALDOT director John Cooper attempted negotiations with the owner of the property at the time, Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC), but the plans led to a lawsuit, which eventually ended in the state purchasing the former toll bridge.
“The reason it is what it is is likely because that was the least expensive option, right?” Elliott said. “If you just have one-way traffic going in one direction, you don't need to have as many safety features to keep cars apart, and there are fewer lanes from a turning standpoint and everything else. And so, the reason it is designed like it is and the reason there's a whole other roadway to get to it is that the director Cooper was right in the middle of trying to- we're going to call it ‘negotiating,’ to be generous- with the toll company, and that's why this thing developed like it did. Should it have gone that way? Certainly, there are a lot of documents that it shouldn't have, but that's why this happened. The bridges that exist right now are not designed based on what is the best traffic flow or what's best for one community or the other. It was based on, ‘What will force the toll company to sell us that bridge?”
If the state converted both bridges to two-way, Elliott said he believes Gulf Shores residents would likely use the new bridge, while tourists would likely use the former toll bridge. He said the current traffic pattern is odd, all in the name of the state forcing BCBC to sell its bridge. He said Gulf Shores leaders negotiated with ALDOT and did not get what they expected.
“I think, you know, part of Mayor Craft's frustration is there was, at least initially, an understanding that was going to be a two-way bridge,” he said. “There were a lot of decisions made by the city based on, you know, a reliance on that. Like, ‘We're going to put a $150 million high school right here.’ And then that changed after the city had made certain plans. It really put Gulf Shores in an awkward position where their residents were having to go all the way to The Wharf to then go north to get to that high school. And so, they're driving to Orange Beach to get back to Gulf Shores, and it's an odd pattern. But it's odd because of the leverage that was trying to be applied to the toll company to try to force them to sell their asset. And that's how we got here.”
Elliott said he believes a new roadway through Gulf State Park is a real possibility, as Craft suggested.
“I think we can start talking in the next year or two about that being a reality,” Elliott added. “And listen, we're going to have to continue to look at roadway improvements. We're going to have to look at new bridges. We're going to have to look at new ways to get folks around.”
Elliott said he believes a priority for a new governor and new ALDOT administration could be connectivity between Beach Express and Interstate 65. The Baldwin County Commission has already started the process of right-of-way acquisitions to lay out a plan for the state.
SEE ALSO: Baldwin County updates plan for Beach Express to I-65 access
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