For years, walking the length of Alabama 59 through Foley meant accepting that at some point the sidewalk would simply end and the shoulder would have to do. That is about to change. Construction has begun on the final segment of a nearly four-mile sidewalk network along the highway, closing the last gap in a system that has been assembled piece by piece over more than a decade of planning and grant applications.
The Final Segment
The new stretch fills a 1.25-mile gap between Azalea Avenue and Pride Drive, near Foley High School. Work on the segment was announced on July 6, 2026. When it is finished, the completed corridor will run continuously from Miflin Road, also known as Baldwin County Road 20, south of the Tanger Outlets, north all the way to Peachtree Avenue.
The location matters. A sidewalk gap adjacent to a high school is not an abstraction. It is the reason a teenager without a car walks in the road, and it is the reason a parent decides the walk is not safe and drives instead, adding another vehicle to the same congested corridor.
How It Is Being Paid For
The project is partially funded through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program, administered in Alabama by the state Department of Transportation. The federal grant covers 80 percent of construction costs, with the City of Foley responsible for the remaining local match.
That ratio is the whole reason a project of this size is achievable for a city of Foley’s population. TAP dollars are competitive and are specifically set aside for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, safe routes to school, and similar work that rarely survives a general road budget on its own merits. Cities that build the internal capacity to write successful applications get sidewalks. Cities that do not, generally, do not.
Mayor Ralph Hellmich pointed directly at that dynamic. “This project is the result of years of planning and persistence,” he said. “Our staff has worked hard to pursue grant opportunities that allow us to maximize local tax dollars while continuing to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life for our residents. Completing this sidewalk network is another step toward creating a more connected Foley.”
A Sustained Local Commitment
The grant money sits on top of a substantial local investment. Since 2022, Foley has put between $3 million and $4 million in municipal funding into sidewalks, entirely separate from grant awards. The city council has also committed approximately $1 million annually in recent years toward sidewalk construction and expansion projects across the city.
That is an unusual level of sustained commitment for a line item that generates no revenue and rarely makes headlines. Sidewalks do not attract industry the way an interchange does. What they do is quieter and more durable: they reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, they let children walk to school, they let older residents reach a pharmacy without driving, and they make it possible for a household to function with one car instead of two.
What Else Is Being Built
The Alabama 59 corridor is the most visible piece of a broader pedestrian program. Recent and planned work includes:
- North Cedar Street, where completed sidewalks now provide pedestrian access from Peachtree Avenue to U.S. 98 and onward to West Fern Avenue.
- The Mills community, where the city plans to extend sidewalks to connect west Foley neighborhoods into the growing citywide network.
The Alabama 59 route itself connects neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and shopping destinations throughout Foley. It is among the busiest transportation routes in the city, which is precisely what makes walking along it dangerous where the sidewalk stops.
The Bigger Picture
Baldwin County’s rapid growth has produced a familiar pattern across South Alabama: commercial development strung along a state highway, residential subdivisions behind it, and no safe way to get from one to the other on foot. Retrofitting sidewalks into that pattern after the fact is expensive and slow, requiring right-of-way, drainage work, and coordination with the state highway department.
Foley’s approach, pairing steady local appropriations with competitive federal grants and simply refusing to stop applying, is one of the few reliable ways a mid-sized city closes that gap. The last 1.25 miles on Alabama 59 is the proof.
This development matters for residents across South Alabama, where local government decisions directly affect daily life in communities from Mobile to Baldwin County and along the Gulf Coast. When municipal leaders take action on issues like infrastructure, public safety, or economic development, the ripple effects extend to neighborhoods, businesses, and families throughout the region.
For context, South Alabama’s unique position along the Gulf of Mexico means that weather preparedness, coastal resilience, and hurricane recovery are perennial concerns that shape policy priorities. The region’s economy — anchored by the Port of Mobile, aerospace manufacturing at Airbus and Austal, shipbuilding at Ingalls, tourism along the beaches, and a growing healthcare sector — creates both opportunities and challenges for local officials navigating growth and preservation.
Residents who want to stay informed can attend city council meetings, county commission sessions, and school board gatherings where these matters are debated and decided. Public comment periods offer direct avenues for citizen input, while local news outlets and official government channels provide updates on agendas, ordinances, and community initiatives. Understanding how to engage with these processes helps ensure that community voices are heard on issues affecting property values, traffic patterns, school quality, and public services.
Related programs and resources available to South Alabama residents include emergency management services through county EMA offices, small business assistance via the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and Alabama Small Business Development Center network, workforce training through Alabama Community College System institutions like Bishop State and Coastal Alabama Community College, and health services through USA Health, Infirmary Health, and county health departments. Nonprofit organizations such as United Way of Southwest Alabama, Habitat for Humanity, and local food banks provide additional support networks for families facing hardship.
Looking ahead, the trajectory of this story will likely involve follow-up actions from relevant agencies, public hearings where community members can weigh in, and potential adjustments based on feedback and changing conditions. Journalists covering the Gulf Coast beat will continue monitoring developments and reporting on how policies translate into real-world outcomes for the people who live, work, and raise families in this region.