Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — Orange Beach Public Works crews are set to remove almost 20 palm trees from the median at the south end of the Beach Express bridge on Saturday morning. The work will occur near the bridge’s southern tip, where traffic enters Orange Beach’s busy beach corridor. City officials say this change is part of a larger highway improvement project led by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). Police and public works leaders emphasize that traffic safety will remain a top priority during the work.

The tree removal is scheduled for tomorrow morning, Saturday, Feb. 7, near the south base of the Beach Express bridge. During the operation, the Orange Beach Police Department will be on site to direct drivers and help ensure the safety of workers and motorists. The city expects some minor disruption as equipment and crews move in and out of the median area.

The palms are being removed as part of ALDOT’s AL 180 and AL 161 Improvement Project, which includes a new Intracoastal Waterway Bridge and improved northern access on the existing Beach Express bridge. The multi-project effort is designed to reduce congestion on Alabama’s beaches and improve safety for residents and visitors once all work is finished. ALDOT has said the combined bridge and road upgrades remain on schedule for completion by summer 2026.

City officials emphasized that the palm trees will not be discarded. Orange Beach Public Works plans to preserve the palms and reuse them elsewhere in the city, keeping the trees as part of the local landscape as road work progresses. The relocation effort reflects a broader push to balance transportation needs with the coastal community’s character.

Once the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge project is complete, both the new bridge and the existing Beach Express Bridge are expected to carry two lanes of traffic in each direction. Transportation officials say that it will double the number of travel lanes across the waterway and should ease delays for beach-bound drivers. The work also includes widening a portion of AL 180 from Beaver Creek to the toll-free Beach Express Bridge and building a connector to AL 161.

For more information about the ALDOT project, the public can visit the agency’s online project page for AL 180 and AL 161 improvements near Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Officials encourage drivers to remain alert for workers and changing traffic patterns around the Beach Express bridge while palm removal and other construction continue.