DAPHNE, Ala.— The Gator Alley pedestrian bridge is now open for use, connecting the east and west sides of Highway 98.

The bridge was made possible with a grant that administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs with funds made available to the state by the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program. The city matched 20 percent of those funds for the construction.

The bridge opened on July 10 with a ribbon cutting by the Daphne Beautification Committee.

The pedestrian bridge spans D’Olive Creek, connecting near the Hampton Inn to the Gator Alley boardwalk. The boardwalk is part of the Eastern Shore Trail, a bike and pedestrian path that runs from the battleship park on the Causeway through the communities of Spanish Fort, Daphne, Montrose, Fairhope, Point Clear and Barnwell.

The Baldwin County Trailblazers started the petition for the Eastern Shore Trail in 1995. Current Trailblazer President Valery Wiseman De Laney said she is happy to see that Daphne has made Gator Alley its own.

“The original intent of Gator Alley was for bikers to have a way to navigate across the Highway 98 road system,” De Laney said. “We wrote the initial grant and designed Gator Alley as part of the Eastern Shore Trail. It’s great to see that the city has really made that area their own.”