G.S. Pedestrian Bridge scheduled for spring of ‘27 completion

G.S. Pedestrian Bridge scheduled for spring of ‘27 completion

Construction on the City of Gulf Shores Pedestrian Bridge, which will rise 75 ft. over the Intracoastal Waterway remains on track for timely completion, according to a city facebook report. Visible progress is taking shape on both the north and south sides and its projected early 2027 completion is ahead of schedule. The $24.3 million project is funded partly with a $7.9 million federal BUILD grant. Northport-based Harrison Construction Co. is building the expanse.
The project will include elevators for bikes/pedestrians, plazas and parking areas on each side, new roads, curbs, and parking areas to improve traffic flow and connectivity for the city’s evolving Waterway Village district. The project involves major traffic pattern changes that will come to fruition after completion of the two-lane Waterways Bridge about 1.5 miles to the east.
“This has been a long time coming with the problems we had with the design and the first bid we had which was dramatically over-budgeted,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said when the construction contract was signed in January.
The lowest bid for the city’s initial proposal came in at $47 million. Project’s designers then came up with a pre-fabricated alternative that includes, instead of a spiral staircase, freight-sized elevator towers with 144 stairs. The elevators will accommodate three bicyclists and at least three people at once.
The underlying reason for the pedestrian bridge is because pedestrian access over the Intracoastal Waterway is being eliminated on the W.C. Holmes Bridge. The Holmes Bridge is undergoing work that involves adding traffic lanes as part of an ongoing Route 59 lane widening from Fort Morgan Road north to Cypress Bend Drive.