Orange Beach, Ala. – (OBA) – Orange Beach is looking to hire Volkert Engineering to study options for improving traffic flow on the former toll bridge. City officials have hinted that the objective is to develop southbound access in Orange Beach by The Wharf after the new bridge to the west opens and traffic on the Orange Beach bridge becomes northbound-only. The state’s new bridge is scheduled to open before Memorial Day.

The council will discuss the proposal at its work session on April 21 in council chambers at City Hall at 5 p.m., but will not vote on the proposal this session. The first meeting of the day will be a regular session, during which votes will be taken on other issues. The bridge item is on the work session agenda and is only up for discussion.

Earlier that same day, the council will also meet in an executive work session on April 21 at 1 p.m. to discuss pending litigation.

“The purpose of the design concepts is to identify feasible infrastructure improvements that enhance traffic capacity, operational efficiency, and safety while supporting anticipated future traffic demands and seasonal peak volumes,” the proposal from Volkert states.

When the new bridge comes online, it will be two lanes south to Canal Road with a roadway from the Foley Beach Express to the south side of the Intracoastal Waterway. A roundabout at each end of the new roadway/bridge will direct traffic onto and off the new roadway.

The $55,899 study will consider two options: improving the current span and a second span over the Intracoastal Waterway adjacent to the current bridge.

Concept No. 1 of the proposal includes:

• Expansion of the existing bridge structure to a four-lane (4-lane) configuration

• Reconfiguration and widening of the roadway approach segments on both sides of the bridge

• Preparation of typical sections for the bridge and roadway approaches

• Conceptual evaluation of structural modifications required to support bridge widening

• Development of preliminary construction cost estimates

• Development of a high-level design and construction timelines

Concept No. 2 includes:

• Conceptual alignment and layout for a new parallel bridge structure

• Development of a new four-lane roadway segment connecting to the bridge approaches

• Preparation of conceptual horizontal roadway alignments

• Conceptual intersection layouts to accommodate revised traffic patterns

• Preparation of typical roadway and bridge sections

• Development of plan view, profile, and exhibit-quality graphics suitable for stakeholder review

• Preparation of preliminary construction cost estimates at a conceptual planning level

• Development of a high-level design and construction schedule

Before the opening, the state is planning to close the toll bridge for three days to reconfigure the intersection at Canal Road for the new north-only traffic flow. For those three days – currently May 10-12 are the proposed dates, all traffic headed to Orange Beach will have to go through Gulf Shores.

See related story: Three-day detour planned for Intracoastal Waterway bridge project

The toll bridge first opened in 2004 and was sold to the state in April of 2024 for $60 million, with $57 million for the bridge and $3 million to help the city build a bypass from Canal Road to State Route 161 south of McDonald’s. This bypass proposal has been discussed in Orange Beach for years.

In 2017, Orange Beach passed a 2 percent lodging tax, with proceeds earmarked for the Wolf Bay Bridge and other traffic improvements within the city. Environmental studies for a Wolf Bay Bridge were completed in 2018.

The Wolf Bay plan was declared dead in 2022 after negotiations between the city and Barber Marina's owners stalled. But other parts of the plan, such as widening Canal Road to three lanes from State Route 161 east to Wilson Boulevard, have moved forward. It’s not known if the money earmarked from the added lodging tax will play a factor in funding for the former toll bridge proposal.