Baldwin County and the city of Loxley have joined forces to construct a new east-west transportation corridor connecting U.S. Highway 31 to Alabama Highway 59, officials announced in a news release.

The project, part of the County’s 30 Cubed Program, is expected to cost approximately $16.3 million.

The initiative will extend and link existing roadway infrastructure to create a continuous route from Bedrock Boulevard near Spanish Fort to Highway 59 in Loxley. A centerpiece of the project is a 480-foot bridge over Fish River, a critical component for completing the corridor.

Portions of the route already exist, but the new construction will fill a key gap, significantly improving travel efficiency and emergency response times across this area of Baldwin County. The corridor also lays the groundwork for future connections east of Highway 59, further enhancing the county’s transportation network.

“The 30 Cubed Program established an aggressive goal of having projects under contract or completed by 2030, and we’re making strong progress toward that objective,” said Baldwin County Engineer Frank Lundy in the release. “This project is really about completing a key connection in our roadway network. We already have portions of this corridor in place, but this fills the gap and creates a continuous east-west route between Highway 31 and Highway 59. That kind of connectivity is critical for both everyday travel and emergency response.”

The city of Loxley, under Mayor Richard Teal, has played a central role in advancing the project.

“Once completed, this project will help relieve congestion on U.S. 31 and provide residents in the area with another option to access Highway 59,” said Greg Smith, Loxley city engineer. “This project has clear regional benefits, and we appreciate the Baldwin County Commission’s partnership in helping bring it to completion.”

Under the agreement, Loxley and Baldwin County will share costs equally, covering design, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations, permitting, construction, engineering and inspections. The city will oversee design and construction, including bidding, coordinating engineering, permitting and right-of-way acquisition. Once finished, the city will maintain the portions of the roadway within its limits.

Construction is expected to take 36 months, pending environmental reviews and permitting.

The project is part of Baldwin County’s broader 30 Cubed initiative to expand transportation capacity and connectivity through collaborative funding partnerships with municipalities. Read about other 30 Cubed projects around the county Gulf Coast Media has reported on at www.GulfCoastMedia.com.