GULF SHORES, Ala. — Gulf Shores police want a portable vehicle barrier system that can quickly put a secure line between crowds and traffic at the city’s festivals, parades and other large gatherings, and the City Council is set to weigh the cost this week.
A proposal to buy an MVB3X vehicle barrier system for up to $205,000 is on the agenda for the council’s work session on Monday, Sept. 21. According to city documents, the Gulf Shores Police Department is requesting the equipment to protect the city’s many special events from what the agenda describes as “aggressive vehicle threats.”
The council is expected to discuss the purchase at the work session, with formal action scheduled for its Sept. 28 meeting.
What the vehicle barrier system would do
The agenda item says the system would allow police to create “a nearly impenetrable closure of up to 10 lanes of travel,” improving public safety either on short notice or during planned special events.
That flexibility is a key selling point. Rather than relying on fixed concrete barriers, heavy trucks or patrol cars parked across roadways, the MVB3X is a modular system that officers can set up where it is needed and pack away when an event ends.
The staff recommendation calls for council approval in an amount not to exceed $205,000.
How the MVB3X barrier works
The MVB3X is made by Advanced Security Technologies LLC, a company based in Closter, New Jersey. According to the manufacturer, the system is built from individual units that weigh about 53 pounds apiece and can be assembled, operated and dismantled by one person.
The company says a single unit can be connected to another in about a minute, and a fully assembled section can be moved into or out of a traffic lane in roughly 10 seconds. That means a barrier line can be opened to let emergency vehicles through and then closed again quickly.
The manufacturer sells the barriers in packages sized to the job, ranging from 20 units covering up to about 2.5 lanes to 72 units covering up to 10 lanes. The 10-lane figure matches the capability described in the Gulf Shores agenda item.
The barriers also use what the company calls an open-structure design. According to the manufacturer, that design is intended to keep an attacker from using the equipment as cover or concealment, a concern that solid barriers can create.
The company markets the system to law enforcement, emergency management agencies, fire departments, the military, public works departments, stadium and venue security teams and corporate clients.
Paying for the barrier purchase
According to the agenda, the $205,000 is available in the city’s capital expenditures transfer account for items not budgeted in 2026. If the council approves, the money would be moved into the police department’s capital line.
The agenda also identifies the manufacturer as a sole source vendor, meaning the city considers it the only supplier of this particular product. Alabama’s competitive bid law allows local governments to make certain purchases without formal bidding when an item is available from only one vendor.
The purchase would not require new taxes or fees, based on the financial information listed in the agenda.
Why cities are investing in portable barriers
Vehicle attacks on crowds have prompted police departments across the country to rethink how they secure parades, festivals and street events.
In Waukesha, Wisconsin, a driver plowed through the city’s Christmas parade in November 2021, killing six people and injuring dozens more. In the months that followed, the Waukesha Common Council approved the purchase of MVB3X barriers, a roughly $800,000 investment paid for with federal American Rescue Plan dollars, to protect its parades, summer concerts and Fourth of July celebration.
On New Year’s Day 2025, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people. That attack, just a few hours’ drive from the Alabama Gulf Coast, renewed attention on how tourist-heavy cities protect pedestrians during major events.
Smaller cities have followed suit. In March 2026, the City Council in Addison, Texas, approved an agreement to purchase MVB3X barriers for up to $99,934, along with a separate rental agreement, to protect its special events.
A busy events calendar in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores draws large crowds throughout the year for festivals, concerts, holiday parades and beach events, many of them held along busy roadways near the public beach.
The city’s largest fall event, the annual National Shrimp Festival, is scheduled for Oct. 8-11, 2026, at the Gulf Shores Public Beach at the intersection of Alabama 59 and East Beach Boulevard. The four-day festival features dozens of food vendors, arts and crafts booths and live music on multiple stages.
Events like that one routinely require police to close or restrict traffic lanes near crowds. The agenda item notes that the police department is seeking the barriers specifically to protect “the numerous special events throughout the city.”
It is not yet clear when the equipment would be delivered or which event would be the first to use it if the council approves the purchase.
What happens next
Here is the timeline for the proposal:
- Monday, Sept. 21: The Gulf Shores City Council discusses the purchase during its work session.
- Monday, Sept. 28: The council is scheduled to take formal action on the request.
- Cost: Not to exceed $205,000, drawn from capital funds not budgeted in 2026.
- Vendor: Advanced Security Technologies, the MVB3X manufacturer, listed as a sole source vendor.
City staff has recommended approval.
Gulf Shores City Council meetings are open to the public. Agendas are posted in advance on the city’s website, where residents can review the full text of items before each meeting.
Residents who want to weigh in on the purchase can attend the Sept. 28 meeting or contact their council members before the vote.