GULF SHORES, Alabama — Crews working on the Little Lagoon Pass bridge project have started pumping sand along the beach this week, part of an effort to restore shoreline that was affected during ongoing bridge construction in Baldwin County.
Beach replenishment tied to bridge work
The sand-pumping work is being carried out alongside the broader Little Lagoon Pass bridge replacement, which state transportation officials say is roughly halfway finished. A temporary detour bridge remains in place next to the construction site and is expected to stay there through the end of the year, with only minimal delays expected for drivers in the meantime.
Elsewhere in the Mobile area, crews with the local water and sewer utility reopened a turn lane on Hillcrest Road at Cottage Hill Road this week after repairing a 12-inch water main that had broken, restoring normal traffic flow through that intersection.
I-10 ramp repair contract awarded
In a significant update on one of the region’s most disruptive closures, state transportation officials confirmed that the contract to repair the Interstate 10 ramp leading to Battleship Parkway, closed since a fiery crash in late July, was awarded earlier this month to a Montgomery-based contractor for just over $718,000. Work on the ramp is expected to begin within a few weeks.
Other Mobile and Baldwin projects continue
Around Mobile, construction continues on the county’s second roundabout at Three Notch Road, Dawes Lane and Dawes Lane Extension, expected to remain closed for about two months. Royal Street between Dauphin and Conti streets remains shut for sewer repair work by the local utility. State crews are also resurfacing and widening State Route 163, and continuing bridge and resurfacing work on I-10 between Halls Mill Creek and the George C. Wallace Tunnel, with lane closures limited mostly to overnight hours through next summer.
Interstate 65 work near Saraland is nearly finished, at about 99 percent complete, while resurfacing on U.S. 90 between Halls Mill and Pine Hill Drive is expected to wrap up by December. In Baldwin County, the connector between County Road 68 and the Baldwin Beach Express is about 90 percent complete, and resurfacing on Alabama 181 between U.S. 31 and U.S. 90 should be finished by October.
State officials say they will continue providing regular updates on the Little Lagoon Pass project and the other road and bridge work underway across Mobile and Baldwin counties.