The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) recently highlighted key construction milestones for a project encompassing the new Intracoastal Waterway Bridge in Baldwin County and new connector road to State Route or SR-161.
[Above photo by ALDOT]
This $52 million bridge project – which also includes widening a portion of SR-180 from Beaver Creek to the current toll-free Beach Express Bridge – is designed to reduce congestion to Alabama’s beaches and improve safety for residents and visitors. All projects remain on schedule for completion by summer 2026, the agency said.
ALDOT noted in a statement that the decks for the new Intracoastal Waterway Bridge were completed in December 2025, marking one of the final steps in the new bridge construction.
When finished, the new bridge and the existing Beach Express Bridge will each provide two lanes of traffic, doubling capacity for Beach Express users, the agency said. These improvements will also double the number of travel lanes across the Intracoastal Waterway along the Baldwin County coast – meaning more capacity and less delay.
Currently, ALDOT said work on the bridge substructure is 100 percent complete; work on its steel girders is 100 percent complete; superstructure work is 95 percent complete; and roadway work is 90 percent complete.
The agency said subcontractors are now scheduled to install the protective concrete barrier wall on the bridge, while another crew prepares to apply the final coat of paint to the steel girders, which will complete the remaining superstructure tasks. Crews are also preparing to begin final paving on the south side of the bridge along SR-180 (also known as Canal Road) and will soon shift traffic into its final configuration.
On the SR-161 connector project, ALDOT said right-of-way has been cleared from County Route or CR-4 to the first low-level bridge site, while utility relocation and roadway construction remain ongoing.
Finally, the SR-180 Widening project from Beaver Creek to the Beach Express Bridge is scheduled for bid in summer 2026, with construction expected to begin after Labor Day. Additionally, following completion of a new pedestrian bridge and Highway 59 widening, the City of Gulf Shores will add a third southbound lane for the Holmes Bridge – creating six total lanes to further improve traffic flow.
Once complete, ALDOT said those combined projects will deliver several benefits, including:
- Reduce congestion on State Highway or SH-9, SH-161 and SR-180.
- Improve access for emergency responders.
- Enhance hurricane evacuation capacity.
- Support continued economic growth in Coastal Alabama.
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