Gulf Shores Council Weighs $3 Million Contract to Rebuild East 2nd Street Block in Waterway Village

GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Gulf Shores City Council is expected to decide Monday, Nov. 9, whether to award a construction contract of up to $3 million to rebuild another block of East 2nd Street in Waterway Village, the latest step in the city’s effort to turn the district into a walkable destination ahead of the opening of its new pedestrian bridge.

City staff are recommending that the contract go to John Plott Construction Company. The project would reconstruct East 2nd Street between East 22nd Avenue and East 23rd Avenue with new pavement, on-street parking, a landscaped median with golf cart parking, wide sidewalks and new drainage and water lines.

If the council approves the award, construction is expected to begin shortly afterward, according to the city. The work is funded through the city’s capital improvement budget.

What the project includes

The city says the improvements are designed to make the corridor safer, more accessible and more attractive while upgrading the infrastructure beneath the street. Planned work includes:

• Reconstruction of about 640 linear feet of asphalt roadway
• Thirty-two new on-street parking spaces
• A landscaped center median with eight parallel golf cart parking spaces
• Wide concrete sidewalks with decorative paving
• A new stormwater drainage system
• Improved intersections and pedestrian crosswalks
• Street trees, landscaping, decorative lighting, benches and trash receptacles
• Relocation of an existing water main and installation of a new 12-inch waterline

The contract value is not to exceed $3 million.

Building a ‘complete street’

The block between East 22nd and East 23rd avenues is one piece of a larger plan. The city’s design vision calls for a “complete street” corridor along East 2nd Street from East 22nd Avenue north to Waterway East Boulevard, with rebuilt roadway, sidewalks, landscaping and lighting along the full stretch.

A complete street is one designed for everyone who uses it, including drivers, people on foot, cyclists and, in a beach town like Gulf Shores, golf cart riders, rather than primarily for moving cars. Wide sidewalks, marked crosswalks, on-street parking and landscaping are common features, along with lighting and seating that make a street comfortable for people to linger.

The city previously announced a separate phase of East 2nd Street work tied to the pedestrian bridge project, including a complete rebuild of the roadway, added sidewalks and landscaping, lighting, irrigation and furnishings from East 25th Avenue to Waterway East Boulevard, north of the bridge. The city said at the time that those improvements build on recent work that added widened sidewalks, on-street parking and stormwater upgrades.

The pedestrian amenities in the newly proposed block are designed to complement the previously approved roadway improvements associated with the bridge, which extend north along East 2nd Street. The goal, according to the city, is a cohesive streetscape throughout the district, and the city intends to complete the corridor before the pedestrian bridge opens.

Tied to the pedestrian bridge

The pedestrian bridge is the centerpiece of the city’s Waterway Village plans. The 75-foot-tall bridge is under construction over the Intracoastal Waterway at the intersection of Canal Road and East Second Street, and will have stair and elevator towers on both the north and south sides of the waterway.

As South AL News reported in October, city officials told the council that the bridge’s opening would move from January to March so plazas at its base can be finished first. Capital Projects Manager Gabriel Willis said the bridge itself would be complete before March, but the city intends to wait to open it until the plaza work is also done.

That plaza work added roughly $1.28 million to the project through a change order with contractor Harrison Construction, pushing the overall cost of the bridge project from $24.7 million to nearly $26 million. The city had accepted a $3.6 million GoMESA grant for the plazas in January, but estimates put that part of the project at about $4.8 million. When finished, the plazas are planned to include seating areas, shade trees, restrooms, sidewalks, viewing posts and event spaces.

The East 2nd Street project is one of several related initiatives the city lists for Waterway Village, along with the pedestrian bridge, parking and drainage upgrades and the future Pedestrian Bridge Plazas project. Together, the city says, the projects are meant to make the area more walkable, connected and welcoming for residents and visitors.

What Waterway Village is

Waterway Village is the district along the Intracoastal Waterway in the heart of Gulf Shores, just north of the beach. The city’s ongoing projects there are aimed at creating a pedestrian-friendly town center with shops, restaurants and public spaces, connected to the waterfront and, once the bridge opens, to the other side of the canal.

The district also hosts community events. In October, a Shrimp Festival Art Walk pop-up was held in Waterway Village to give artists another chance to sell their work after Hurricane Isaias disrupted plans.

What the work means for residents and visitors

The proposed block adds 32 on-street parking spaces and eight golf cart spaces, a meaningful addition in a district where parking is in demand during the busy season. The new stormwater system is intended to address drainage, a persistent concern in low-lying coastal areas, and the new 12-inch waterline will replace and relocate existing water infrastructure under the street.

Construction on a downtown street typically brings temporary lane closures, detours and changes to parking and business access. The city has not yet released a detailed construction schedule or traffic plan for the block. Residents and business owners along East 2nd Street between East 22nd and East 23rd avenues should watch for notices from the city once a contract is awarded.

Other street work underway

The East 2nd Street project is separate from the city’s ongoing road resurfacing program. In October, the city began work under a $1.5 million resurfacing contract with McElhenny, and it is also advancing plans to reroute part of Canal Road with an interim bypass.

What happens next

The council is expected to take up the contract award at its regular meeting Monday, Nov. 9. City Council meetings are open to the public, and agendas are posted on the city’s website ahead of each meeting.

If the contract is approved, construction should begin shortly afterward, with the goal of finishing the corridor before the pedestrian bridge opens to the public. More information about Waterway Village projects is available from the City of Gulf Shores.