GULF SHORES — With "roadway improvements" needed throughout Baldwin County, the City of Gulf Shores has approved an agreement to be the first partner with the Baldwin County Commission in their new project: 30 Cubed.

According to a press release on the agreement, 30 Cubed is a program with the goal of connecting municipalities with the county in partnerships to "enhance the capacity of connectivity" along roadways in Baldwin County.

Gulf Shores is the first municipality to participate. Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood said "all 14" municipalities can participate in the program, but approval is given on a "first-come, first-serve" basis.

For the Gulf Shores project, areas along County Road 6, near where it intersects with Highway 59, are set to add lanes, widen roads and "intersection improvements."

Clint Colvin, capital projects director for Gulf Shores, explained how in this partnership, the city and the county agree to "splitting the costs for design, construction and CE&I" of the project. He said the preliminary cost is estimated to be approximately $11 million, meaning both city and county funds will equal approximately $5.5 million.

This year, the city budget has $500,000 allotted for "design costs." Colvin said. He added that the remaining cost is set to be added to "future budgets."

Underwood said the county's budget for the next five years has been set to have $6 million each year to go towards these funds, which amounts to a total of $30 million by 2025.

Colvin presented the agreement to focus on "roadway improvements to County Road 6" at the May 19 city council meeting, at which it was also unanimously approved.

Before it was approved, Underwood spoke before City Council and those in attendance on the 30 Cubed program and how she believes it to be "a great opportunity" to bring the municipalities of Baldwin County together.

"I ran for office back in 2018 to have a better collaboration between our cities and the county," Underwood said. "For a long time, I had heard about this 'us against them' attitude of some cities and some, you know, persons and I didn't want that to be."

This partnership was a "unique opportunity" for residents and a "true partnership between the city and the county," Colvin said.

"The city and county both recognize that the growth on County Road 6 has stressed the existing infrastructure," Colvin said, "that there is a need for improvements in this location, and traffic improvements to County Road 6 would greatly benefit both city and county residents."

Underwood felt the program allows a collaboration to "get things done" on municipal and county connectivity "in a more efficient and better way."

"Our number one strategic goal is infrastructure," Underwood said on behalf of the Baldwin County Commission, "and under that is increasing capacity and increasing connectivity of county roads, and we all know that the roads have to connect."

The press release on the agreement said programs like 30 Cubed are "vital" to ensure a "resilient, well-connected and efficient transportation network."

"The 30 Cubed Program encourages voluntary partnerships with any municipality across Baldwin County, offering funding and support for roadway enhancements that align with regional transportation goals," the release states. "By focusing on cooperative planning and resource sharing, 30 Cubed not only addresses current traffic demands but also prepares the region for future growth."