Mobile County Targets Early 2025 Reopening for $9.5 Million Bayfront Park Overhaul

Mobile County’s oldest park is on track to welcome visitors back. County officials have targeted January 2025 for the reopening of Bayfront Park, which closed in March 2022 for a $9.5 million renovation funded through the Deepwater Horizon natural resource damage settlement.

Construction crews are finishing a new playground, pavilions, picnic tables, walking paths and a combined restroom and office building, according to County Commissioner Randall Dueitt, who said the park offers “a little bit of something” for residents across the county.

A Two-Acre Pocket Beach on Mobile Bay

The marquee addition arrived in 2023: a two-acre pocket beach, more than 900 feet long and 150 feet wide, built for swimming, fishing and crabbing along the water. Dueitt noted the stretch was knee-deep water before construction and said the beach grew out of the county’s goal to let residents take advantage of natural resources in a community surrounded by water on two sides.

Once the park reopens, the county plans to rebuild and expand the boardwalk — a favored bird-watching perch — without closing the park or disrupting visits. Dueitt also hopes to eventually add paddle boat and kayak rentals to the mix.

Where the Money Comes From

Natural resource damage money stems from the 2016 settlement with BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which set aside up to $8.8 billion to restore natural resources harmed across the Gulf states. In Alabama, restoration projects are chosen by the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group, a panel of state and federal agencies that proposes projects in restoration plans and approves them after a public comment period.