GULF SHORES — On Monday, June 22, Gulf Shores City Council approved a proposal to start the design and technical engineering process of the city's annual resurfacing project.

The project as a whole will focus on repairing roadways around the city, including the Aventura subdivision. The city budgeted $2.15 million for the project, including $51,500 for design fees, which were approved at Monday's meeting, but with a revised cost estimate of $1.3 million, Gulf Shores City Engineer Jenny Wolfschlag said they're planning on going under the budget, which will allow the remaining funds to be used on the next resurfacing project.

The city hired Civil Southeast, a civil engineering consulting firm, to do the design portion. Officials expect that part to take about a month.

"We have a list of roads that we know are known problems, then some known problems in the Aventura neighborhood as well," Wolfschlag said.

Wolfschalg said the annual program was last completed in 2024 but was skipped over last year because "the funds got reallocated."

Part of the process requires the city to establish which areas need resurfacing, and they assess this by using Roadway Asset Services (RAS). RAS is a company that uses a specialized truck, equipped with imagery and radar technology, to drive over city roads and collect data on the asphalt. With the data collected, it's then analyzed and provides rankings on which roads need the most attention.

"It's taking a little longer than we expected for them to get all the data compiled," she said. "We have the data now, but now you have to analyze the data before it's really useful."

The construction will consist of applying seal coats on roadways, which will provide the asphalt with a layer of protection from "water, vehicle fluids and UV rays," and using edging mills, a chainsaw-like tool, on roadways that will level the roads "to ensure a 2% cross slope so that water will drain off the roadways," according to Wolfschalg.

The roadways selected, based on the analysis, will be provided to the public during the construction phase.

The bidding of the project is expected to be in August, with paving expected to begin in fall and wrap up by the end of the year.