GULF SHORES — Bids have come in under the $27 million total budget for the project to build a pedestrian bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores with contracts approved at the Jan. 6 Gulf Shores City Council meeting.

"(We're) really glad to have this opportunity, and we don't want to let that pass," Mayor Robert Craft said. "We're ready to get started on something that we've been waiting on for a while."

Jon Walker, city administrator, said the “estimated notice to proceed” with construction will be issued on Jan. 20. The pedestrian bridge’s estimated completion date is Nov. 26.

Walker said funding will be provided by the city’s general fund along with the BUILD Grant, received in 2019 for the Waterway Village Multi-Modal Access Project. The BUILD Grant will provide $7,935,000 for the construction of the pedestrian bridge.

According to a previous GCM article, the BUILD Grant is managed through the Federal Transportation Administration and only funds projects aimed at improving infrastructure and connectivity. The Hwy. 59 expansion project is also using funds through this program.

“The pedestrian bridge is key to transforming The Waterway into a vibrant activity center,” the city wrote in a project update previously reported by GCM. “As Gulf Shores continues to grow, this area will become a central hub for residents and visitors to park, walk, eat and shop. The bridge represents a major step toward creating a downtown area that showcases the best of our city.”

Walker said many changes have been made to the budget and design for the pedestrian bridge since 2019 as “construction costs have risen sharply over the last six years.”

“The first budget in 2019, when we applied for the (BUILD) Grant, was around $10 million. Prior to opening bids in December 2023, we had a cost estimate of $23 million,” Walker said. “Unfortunately, the bid response at that time came in over $46 million.”

Walker said the city then met with their engineer, Volkert, to redesign the project. The earlier design included ramps to access the bridge, which ended up being "dramatically over budget," as Craft said. The redesigns still allow for a ramp to be added later, but an elevator will be installed to start. 

The redesigns created a new cost estimate of $24,679,692 and a new total budget of $27 million. The lowest bidder was Harrison Construction Company Inc. with a total bid amount of $24,089,698.

At the Jan. 6 council meeting, Gulf Shores' capital program director, Clint Colvin,  said the current design for the stair/elevator towers, located on each side of the pedestrian bridge, currently have a "freight-sized elevator" that is capable of fitting at least three bicycles and three people. These elevators also have an emergency generator in the event of a power outage when in use.

As reported previously by GCM, the pedestrian bridge project is poised to connect Waterway Village, located on each side of the Intracoastal Waterway around Tacky Jack's to the south and around LuLu's north of the canal. Walker said plans for the Waterway Village plazas “are still being determined.”

“Other improvements are being contemplated for the Waterway District but have not been finalized at this time,” Walker said. “The reroute of the road in preparation of this project is underway and will be completed soon.”

The bid from Harrison Construction Company Inc., which would be approved as an amount not to exceed $24,300,000 for the construction of the pedestrian bridge, was accepted at the Jan. 6 council meeting.

The other contract to be approved at the Jan. 6 meeting was with Neel-Schaffer Inc. in an amount not to exceed $2,265,000 for Construction Engineering and Inspection (CE&I). However, this  item was deferred until a later council meeting due to "a few details" to be worked out before it was presented. 

According to the agenda item summary, CE&I was required “due to the grant requirements and complexities of this project.” Three engineering firms pre-qualified with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) were received by the city.

“Of those three firms, Neel-Schaffer Inc. was selected due to their qualifications and relevant bridge experience,” the agenda item reads.