Gulf Shores, Ala. – (OBA) –  Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Harris said in an email to media on Oct. 18 the state has decided to move forward with the new Gulf Shores bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway with a completion target date of Jan. 1, 2026.

But Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft got the news from Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper a day early and shared the good news at the end of the Oct. 17 city council work session.

“It’s official,” Craft said.

Craft said he routinely calls Cooper on Mondays to give the latest update on progress of the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. He got his response on Oct. 17 less than 30 minutes before the council convened.

“The contract has been fully executed and a notice to proceed has been given,” Craft said Cooper told him. “So, the bridge will be built. And, that’s as definitive as I’ve seen from anything up there.”

That doesn’t mean, Craft said, the issue is solved but he did reiterate the importance of the bridge not only to the residents of Gulf Shores but for all residents on the island, meaning Orange Beach as well, and the visitors who flock to local beaches.

“Now, there’s always a lot of conversations back and forth from adversaries that do not want the bridge built,” Craft said. “I have no idea what the legal impact of that will be if it happens. But I do know the one thing that I’ve always felt like this entire island needs a better way on it. If you don’t live here, you don’t know how hard it is to deal with storm evacuation and medical issues when you’re trying to go over the Intracoastal when our roads are busy and full.”

Harris made some of the same points in his statement released about 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 18.

“The bridge, which will be owned by the people of Alabama, will absolutely help relieve traffic congestion for residents and visitors as well as provide an additional evacuation route,” Harris said. “The new bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway will add extra capacity to relieve traffic congestion on Highway 59, provide new infrastructure that is critical to the continued growth and success of Baldwin County and Alabama’s tourism industry, provide another safe evacuation route off the island and offer a faster alternative to get to the hospital in Foley.”

Craft began the weekly updates a few months ago saying “we can’t live this way,” among other statements calling for the bridge. He was happy to be able to announce the successful effort to have the bridge move forward.

“It is an amazing conclusion to this process and we’ll let you know from there,” Craft said.

Negotiations with the Baldwin County Bridge Company, owners of the Beach Express toll bridge in Orange Beach to build a second span there, broke down in September. The bridge company promised $60 million in cash to Orange Beach over the course of 50 years and about $25 million to build a spur road from the Beach Express just south of Coastal Gateway Boulevard to Cotton Creek Drive in Gulf Shores.

The state has already spent $20 million on rights of way for the spur road and the south landing of the bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway on Canal Road.