G.S.P. Pedestrian Bridge goes up on Hwy. 182

G.S.P. Pedestrian Bridge goes up on Hwy. 182

The first of two pedestrian bridges over Highway 182 was installed at Gulf State Park in the wee hours of Oct. 2. When complete, the bridge will allow for safer walking and biking between the 30 miles of bicycle and hiking trails in the park north of Hwy. 182 and the pier, beach area, and Gulf State Park Lodge on the beachside. The State Park Lodge & Convention Center is part of a $141 million project scheduled to open next fall. It will include 350 hotel rooms with meeting space, which can handle 1,000 people. A ballroom in the beachfront complex will accommodate 1,500 people. The original lodge was washed away by Ivan’s storm surge. The GSP project also includes a new learning campus inside the park, an interpretive center, and restoration of the park’s sugar-sand dunes with new techniques and the planting of native vegetation.