Gulf Shores Pedestrian Bridge and Road Improvements
Posted by Rachel Kelly on Monday, November 11th, 2019 at 1:29pm.
The City of Gulf Shores recently won a $14.4 million grant through the Department of Transportation's BUILD program. This is great news for the city as it continuously works on long-term solutions associated with the growing number of residents and vacation traffic. The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program offers discretionary grant funding to transportation projects with significant local or regional impacts and focuses on improving infrastructure condition, addressing public health and safety, promoting regional connectivity, or facilitating economic growth.
Funding from the BUILD grant will go towards the following projects in Gulf Shores, AL:
• Addition of a third southbound lane on Hwy 59 in Gulf Shores (stretching for approximately 2 miles).
• Expansion of County Road 6 in the Gulf Shores area changing from two-lanes to a divided four-lane roadway with dedicated cycling lanes and shared-use pedestrian path access
• Construction of share-used paths along Hwy 59 from 20th Avenue to County Road 4 (also known as Waterway Blvd)
• Construction of new pedestrian bridge over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
• Addition of new two-lane roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks
The Gulf Shores/Foley area is one of the fastest growing regions in the state and is booming with both commercial and residential developments. The federal funds will aid in local growth improvements and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the city. The majority of these projects will focus on the area's intermodal transportation infrastructure including safer pedestrian & bike friendly routes and alleviating traffic congestion to Gulf Shores beaches particularly during peak tourist season.