Plans on the long-awaited project to widen and repave the Foley Beach Express are set to begin in Foley soon.

Mobile Asphalt Company secured the lowest bid for the significant infrastructure overhaul. The project, eagerly awaited by residents and commuters alike, will includeadditional safety enhancements along the route, extending from Baldwin County 12 north to the highway's junction with Alabama 59.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich confirmed that the city approved the project approximately two years ago but had awaited final approval from the Alabama Department of Transportation before initiating construction.

“The good news is we can start. It is a 250-day contract. This is a big project and it is a long-awaited project,” Hellmich said. “This will make the Foley Beach Express an even safer road with the safety shoulders, which is very important, to match the Baldwin Beach Express north and south of here.”

With an average daily traffic count exceeding 20,000 vehicles, according to Alabama Department of Transportation reports, the urgency for improvements to the Foley Beach Express has been highlighted by the substantial volume of commuters utilizing the Foley Beach Express.

City officials had aimed to begin highway improvement work in late 2023. The projected 250-day work schedule means construction will coincide with the summer tourist season. However, Mayor Hellmich cautioned that postponing the project could result in escalated costs.

“We thought about trying to put it off until September, but if we do that then the asphalt goes up here we're gonna have to come back and ask you for more money,” Hellmich told City Council members.

The four-lane Foley Beach Express was initially completed in 2000, spanning a total length of approximately 14.7 miles from the Intracoastal Waterway in Orange Beach to Alabama 59.

An extension was later added north from Foley to Interstate 10. That 13.2-mile section, known as the Baldwin Beach Express, was completed in 2014.