There are a lot of projects under construction, expansion and renourishment in Gulf Shores, and the Little Lagoon Preservation Society got the scoop on some big topics recently.

In addition to providing an update on the beach renourishment project that is being funded by $17 million, City Engineer Mark Acreman provided information on the BUILD and ATRIP 2 grants and transportation projects to expect throughout the rest of the year.

Acreman said that while the city has already completed both phases of Medical Village, construction is set to begin on the widening of Highway 59 from Fort Morgan Road to the Target, from Target to County Road 6, County Road 6 to County Road 8, County Road 6 West improvements and the new pedestrian bridge over the intracoastal.

Acreman said construction on the widening projects are expected to last to July 2026, costing a total of $17 million. However, Acreman said that $6.5 million of the total cost is funded through the BUILD grant, while $4 million is funded through the ATRIP 2 grant, bringing the cost to the city to $6.5 million.

Acreman announced that included in the widening projects is a new third southbound lane from Target to Fort Morgan Road, Highway 59 access management, intersection improvements and a new entrance and access management to the Publix on Cotton Creek Drive.

"We will be adding a direct right turn into Publix and a signal on the backside," Acreman said. "We will also be adding channels into the intersection, similar to what you see in Foley at Buffalo Wild Wings or Culvers. These will be channels that help you get into the left turn."

Acreman said these projects are funded through lodging taxes, provided by visitors who generate the traffic.

Several audience members voiced concerns over the stoplights taking significantly longer to turn, causing a backup of traffic coming on and off the island.

"This time of year, we see 55,000 to 65,000 cars going over the bridge every day, but the road widening should help with that by providing more capacity on 59, making the signals work better," Acreman said. "There is no way to sugarcoat it, you won't see that traffic lift until August. Last year we had a total of 16.8 million cars going over the bridge.

"We suspect that more and more people are unable to afford staying on the island for a whole week, so where there used to just be an impact on traffic during the weekend we are now seeing it on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc."

Acreman wrapped up the presentation by talking about the construction of a new pedestrian bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway.

"The bridge will be 14 feet wide, so wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and bicycles," Acreman said. "There will not be a marked bike lane, but bikers can be on the pedestrian lane."

Acreman also said there will be elevators on each side of the bridge wide enough for bicycles and emergency personnel to travel with their equipment if necessary.

"Overall," he said ,"we are working on over $100 million of transportation projects over the next five to six years."