ORANGE BEACH - At the start of Tuesday’s city council meeting, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon took time to address the online chatter and questions over the bridge debate.
In a statement Friday, July 30, Kennon said that Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper agreed to a three-month negotiation period with the Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC), and Alabama Department of Transportation suspended the process to take bids on the new Waterway Bridge that were to open July 30.
Shortly after Kennon’s statement was released to the media and online, Gulf Shores’ Mayor Robert Craft released his own statement expressing his disappointment regarding the delay. The Waterway Bridge project has been in the works for many years but has finally received all the permits and right-of-way and the $70 million in funds secured by the state of Alabama to build a free bridge.
“Unfortunately, there was a press release put out by Gulf Shores that essentially indited us for selfish and nefarious and profiteering off the bridge and that was behind our reason for our support on a certain route. That indites us, indites the bridge company and the state of Alabama because it is a tri-party agreement. I need to address that. It did make it to social media and there were lots of comments and lots of questions. I feel that whenever it makes it to social media that needs to be dealt with immediately so more urban myths and rumors don’t move through the community,” Kennon said.
According to Kennon, the city of Orange Beach was approached by the state of Alabama three years ago and asked to start negotiations with the previous toll bridge company to help the state get traffic off Highway 59 and onto the Foley Beach Expressway. Those negotiations resulted in the BCBC agreeing to expand from five to 11 toll booths with electronic toll capability, permanent Freedom Pass lanes and add another span to the bridge resulting in two northbound and two southbound lanes. The expansion of the toll bridge booths would happen within 18 months and a new span added within three years. The financial burden of the expansion would be shouldered by the BCBC.
Throughout the meeting, Kennon highlighted traffic conflict points and the number of intersections the new Waterway Bridge could create over the toll bridge expansion plan.
“Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are a drive destination. We are going to have traffic and it is going to continue to grow as we grow,” Kennon said. “Efficient traffic flow results in a better quality of life not just for our visitors but also those of us that live here and have to deal with it, especially in the summer season. Expansion of the current toll bridge does not increase the number of intersections or conflict points. The current Waterway proposal is a north/south route to the west with a north/south route at the bridge with no toll booth expansion whatsoever because they are not going to invest to any degree when they have a competing bridge to the west. It creates three very complicated intersections: County Road 8, County Road 4 and at the base of the bridge on Canal Road.”
The Waterway Bridge route runs along the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach line that ends in Orange Beach with a large roundabout intersection. Kennon said Orange Beach will be charged with policing the new intersections, dealing with traffic and accidents.
“Any traffic inefficiencies created by a new roadway with three conflicting intersections, the burden will be bore by the city of Orange Beach and our residents. It’s not going to be bore by Gulf Shores or Foley, it’s going to be bore by us,” Kennon said.
The city of Orange Beach entered into an agreement in 2004 with the toll bridge company at the time, to loan them $12 million. The funds were paid back over time. The contract is now worth $0.30 per car over the toll bridge totaling $1.5 million this year. According to Kennon, this is the first year they have received $1.5 million. The contract is good through 2033 when the city will have the option to buy the bridge at ten times revenue or extend the contract through 2063 which is worth close to $70 million to the city of Orange Beach. The funds Orange Beach receive from the toll bridge are placed in the general fund and used to provide quality of life amenities, beach cleaning and parks, says Kennon.
“I don’t know about Gulf Shores, maybe they have $70 million laying around, but $70 million is a lot of money to the city of Orange Beach. It is also our fiduciary responsibility to honor and protect that contract and not walk away from it because someone else decides they have a way to bypass it that is more convenient for them,” Kennon said.
Kennon also addressed comments that 34% of the traffic coming down the Expressway bypass the toll bridge to avoid paying a toll.
“That is false. If they are bypassing the toll bridge, it’s because they realize coming down the Expressway to go to Gulf Shores is faster than coming down Highway 59 to go to Gulf Shores. Are there a few people that out of principle will drive 30 minutes out of the way to bypass the toll? There are, I know them and there are some in this room. But the point I am making is it is very few and far between. The majority of that traffic going down County Road 4 is going to Gulf Shores,” Kennon said.
The one thing Kennon and Craft both have expressed is the desire to reduce summer traffic on Highway 59, but the state of Alabama and ALDOT will ultimately make the decision as to how it will be accomplished. The three-month negotiating period will end at the end of October.
