Commissioners OK More Funds for New Route

Wednesday, December 07, 2005
By VIRGINIA BRIDGES
Staff Reporter

BAY MINETTE -- The Baldwin County Commission voted Tuesday to use local money to fill the final $2 million funding gap in a plan to build a second evacuation route from the Gulf beaches to Interstate 10.

"It is a wonderful day to have $50 million secured for this project," said Commission Vice Chairman Wayne Gruenloh. "It is an important project that has been worked on for many, many years."

The 4-0 vote closes the most recent shortfall in financing for the $50 million project to extend the Foley Beach Express to I-10 via Baldwin County 83.

The commission will put up $1.5 million in addition to other county money committed to the project, and accept $500,000 from the Baldwin County Bridge Co. -- which built the toll bridge from Pleasure Island over the Intracoastal Waterway, along with most of the Foley Beach Express.

The move settles confusion that followed recent funding announcements for the evacuation route meant to ease traffic congestion from Alabama 59 when powerful storms threaten the area.

In July, Congress designated $26 million for the road as part of a transportation bill. That money, along with a $5.2 million county match, was thought to be enough to create the four-lane corridor, county officials have said.

After recent construction estimates indicated that the road would cost at least $50 million, Gov. Bob Riley announced at a Nov. 14 news conference that the Alabama Department of Transportation would give $10 million. About 80 percent of the funding is federal money, with a required 20 percent match, according to Tony Harris, a spokesman for the state Transportation Department.

With a previous state obligation to pay $5 million for the I-10 interchange, the additional money narrowed the $19 million funding gap to about $4 million.

Riley also announced that the Baldwin County Commission would give an additional $3 million, and the city of Orange Beach and the Baldwin County Bridge Co. would put up $500,000 each.

Apparently the state Highway Department meant to propose the funding plan to local sources, while Riley thought the deal had been set, state officials said. Following the announcement, city and county officials said they had not agreed to that deal or even heard of it.

After continued discussions between state and county officials, the state pledged an additional $2 million to the project and asked that the remaining $2 million come from local sources.

The $1.5 million in county money committed Tuesday includes $500,000 initially set aside in July 2004 to assist the city of Orange Beach in purchasing Robinson Island as a nature preservation site. The money was never used as the city received other funding for that purchase, commissioners said.

The commission will pay the remaining $1 million from county Highway Department funds set aside for Baldwin County 83 before federal funding was allocated, county officials said.

"(The plan ) shows when we all work together and try to achieve the same goal, it certainly makes things move smoothly," Commissioner Frank Burt said.

Letters from John McInnis, manager of the Baldwin County Bridge Co., and Orange Beach Mayor Steve Russo indicated they agree to the plan.

Cal Markert, director of the county's Highway Department, said Baldwin is taking the lead on the project and moving forward with the highway's design and rights of way acquisition, but all plans will have to be approved at the state and federal levels. Markert expects to break ground on the project toward the end of 2006, he said.