As Alabama state officials mull over two bids to build a new two-lane bridge leading to the state’s beaches, disagreements continue among Baldwin County leaders over whether the project will be worthwhile in alleviating congestion.

The rhetoric is growing heated, with some name-calling, in debates over the best way to ease congested beach traffic.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon called Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft a “liar” during a phone interview with AL.com on Wednesday. Kennon referred to a statement that Craft made last month suggesting Kennon is a supporter of the two-lane bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway.

“I didn’t support building the bridge,” Kennon said about a statement he made four years ago. He said he was being a “team player” at the time in helping state officials move forward in negotiations with the Baldwin Beach Express Company (BCBC), the private operators of the 22-year-old toll bridge next to the Wharf in Orange Beach.

“I supported (Alabama Department of Transportation Secretary) John Cooper’s strategy in getting the bridge company to the table,” Kennon said.

Craft, in a September 2 statement, had said he and Kennon signed a letter of support for the bridge in 2018.

Kennon, however, said “I would rather nothing be done than build something that could be worse.” He called the ALDOT-supported Intercoastal Waterway bridge a “boondoggle.”

Replied Craft, “As I have previously stated, while some try to make this a Gulf Shores versus Orange Beach debate, it is not. The Waterways Bridge project is an ALDOT project, and they will solely decide to build it or not.”

‘Strong-arm’

The Intercoastal Waterway bridge project is opposed by BCBC, which had been angling for additional lanes on their bridge only if a new bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway was not built.

BCBC and ALDOT had been in negotiations for the past year until September 1 when the state announced it was opening bids and moving forward with the Intercoastal Waterway bridge project. That project was the subject of well-attended public meetings in 2018.

A representative with the bridge company said in a statement to AL.com this week that ALDOT’s negotiations with them were “flawed from the beginning.”

“It was clear that ALDOT’s intentions were to strong-arm us into selling the bridge to them at ‘their’ price or, in the alternative, build a competing bridge in hopes of devaluing our assets and then attempting to buy us out,” said Neal Belitsky, CEO of BCBC’s parent company. “It is very disappointing to see a conservative state like Alabama rebuke the private investments that has helped the beach community grow exponentially over the last 22 years.”

Alabama State Senator Chris Elliott, R-Daphne, said he was worried the fallout from the negotiations could lead to litigation which would slow down progress on building much-needed bridge lanes across the Intercoastal Waterway.

“While (the Intercoastal Waterway project) does put additional lanes across the canal and onto the island, I am concerned about the bigger picture of potential lawsuits and other extenuating circumstances that could complicate this project and delay its implementation,” Elliott said.

Support or disputes?

The charged comments, made over the last several days to AL.com, are occurring after the Alabama Department of Transportation received two bids last week from contractors that are within the state’s estimated $48 million to $60 million price range to build the new bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway.

“ALDOT’s project for a new, free public bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway has received strong support from residents, tourism officials, healthcare leaders and local elected officials,” said Tony Harris, spokesman for ALDOT. “Now that bids for this project have opened, ALDOT is reviewing and evaluating the bids as part of our normal procedure.”

The state could, in essence, award the construction bids soon to either Scott Bridge Co. of Opelika for $51.9 million, or McInnis Construction LLC & F&W Construction Co. of Summerdale for $53.8 million.

“At this time, we have a good bid on the project,” Craft said during the Gulf Shores City Council meeting on Monday. He said he was unsure, however, if the project would occur and noted that it was up to the state to move it forward.

“I don’t know if anyone outside the governor’s office knows,” Craft said.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, during a stop in Mobile on Wednesday, said she was glad “local officials are working with ALDOT to find the best solution” toward adding more access to the beaches at a time when the coastal area continues to see record tourism.

Asked if she will support ALDOT’s decisions on the project, the governor said, “I’m sure (ALDOT Director) John Cooper and I will have some conversations.”

But despite the comments suggesting local officials are supportive of the project, some notable disagreements are occurring:

• Kennon is reemphasizing his long opposition to ALDOT’s project, and recently held a meeting with elected officials in Baldwin County to express his disapproval. He is concerned that ALDOT’s project will not alleviate traffic off Alabama State Route 59. He said the new two-lane bridge project, located east of the toll bridge, does not include additional infrastructure to move traffic from Cotton Creek Drive north to the nearest expressway – the Foley Beach Express. Kennon is also challenging Craft to a town hall-style meeting to debate the best course of action for moving traffic onto and off the beach.
• Craft, in his September 2 statement after ALDOT announced a day earlier that it was opening bids for the Intercoastal Waterway bridge, said he was pleased the state was not pursuing an alternative proposal from the Baldwin Beach Express Company (BCBC). The private operators of the toll bridge were seeking additional lanes on their existing bridge and were offering a toll-free option for all Baldwin County residents. But that agreement hinged on not building a new bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway between the W.C. Holmes Bridge (Route 59) and the Beach Express Bridge for 50 years, which the city of Gulf Shores did not support. Kennon, however, supports the BCBC plan.
• Baldwin County Commission Chairman Jeb Ball said while county officials are not weighing in on the project, his office was unaware the Intercoastal Waterway bridge project was moving forward until two days before the project was let out for a bid. Ball said that county officials would prefer the state money go toward extending the Baldwin Beach Express from where it ends at Interstate 10 north toward I-65.

“I personally feel like (the Intercoastal Waterway Bridge) has no benefit to Baldwin County,” Ball said. “If the state of Alabama was going to allocate money for an infrastructure project of that magnitude, I thought more people would be at the table.”

Project concerns

ALDOT, for years, has been moving toward building the two-lane Intercoastal Waterway bridge. The state has spent about $20 million in acquiring property to prepare for the project, and the city of Gulf Shores, in 2021, conveyed approximately 26.4 acres of public right of way to ALDOT for the construction of a new roadway that would connect to Alabama State Route 181 (Canal Road) in Gulf Shores from the new bridge to the Beach Express.

But for the past year, the project had been in limbo as ALDOT agreed to negotiate with BCBC over an extension of bridge lanes to its project.

Related stories:

BCBC, in August, pitched a proposal to build an additional bridge span and make additional roadway improvements and signage improvements, construct an expanded toll plaza with multiple lanes, as well as other infrastructure improvements.

As part of the plan, BCBC agreed to remove all tolls assessed on Baldwin County residents. Most bridge users are assessed a $2.75 one-way toll.

Belitsky, the BCBC executive, said their company’s plan “was a win-win” for state and local taxpayers and Baldwin County residents.

“The state’s plan to build a new bridge from Canal Road to Cotton Creek Drive will do nothing to reduce congestion on the inbound highways and, ultimately, it is the locals who will pay the prices for ALDOT’s poor decision here,” he said.

The BCBC also included a plan to provide Orange Beach and Gulf Shores with $10 million each. The BCBC project also would provide $1 million per year for the next 50 years to the city of Orange Beach. The city has been receiving around $1.2 million each year under its current longtime agreement with BCBC.

Kennon has said that his support for the BCBC agreement is about resolving a traffic issue in his community.

He, like Ball, said the better solution for ALDOT would be to complete the Baldwin Beach Express project and connect I-10 with I-65, which is the main north-south interstate for beachbound visitors. Past estimates for the Beach Express extension were around $200 million.

“You complete (the Beach Express) right there, and I guarantee you that it solves your problems on (Route) 59,” Kennon said.

Elliott, the state senator who is attempting to mediate the disagreements between the coastal mayors, said his biggest concern with the state’s project is where it ends. He said as proposed, the new bridge project stops at Cotton Creek Drive, which would not move traffic to the Beach Express.

“There is significant infrastructure investment needed in order to make this project function smoothly and to alleviate the Holmes bridge on Highway 59, and if it’s to effectively service an alternative route for travelers on the Beach Express and Highway 59,” he said.

Elliott, though, said despite questions about the project’s scope, he is pleased that ALDOT has money dedicated toward a major bridge project for the coastal area.

“This is a big deal,” he said. “I’m very pleased we were able to secure the funding for this project.”

Waterway East Boulevard

Gulf Shores, meanwhile, is moving ahead with a major project that will connect to the future bridge.

The City Council is poised to approve a $19.2 million Waterway East Boulevard improvement project, which is a roadway improvement project to connect Route 59 to the vicinity of the new Intercoastal Waterway bridge.

The council will vote Monday to award the project to Asphalt Services Inc. of Spanish Fort.

Gulf Shores City Engineer Mark Acreman said the project’s funding comes from RESTORE Act funds that were provided through the settlement from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and subsequent oil spill that disrupted tourism on the Alabama Gulf Coast more than a decade ago.

Part of that project includes a roundabout that serves as an entrance into the Gulf Shores International Airport, which is being designed to provide future commercial flights to Alabama’s beaches.

“This will provide more interconnectivity between 59 and the Beach Express, and our airport is connected to this system as well,” Acreman said.

He said he was hopeful that the project could begin in November. Construction would last approximately 18 months, he said.

Acreman also said the project will move forward even if the bridge is not built.

That, of course, will depend on ALDOT and whether it awards a construction bid in the coming weeks.

“Will it be built or not?” Craft said during Monday’s Gulf Shores council meeting. “We can’t answer that.”