Drivers crossing the Intracoastal Waterway on Highway 59 in Gulf Shores may have noticed something new this week: fresh lane striping stretched across Holmes Bridge, marking out an additional travel lane that isn’t open to traffic yet. The restriping work was carried out overnight Tuesday into Wednesday by the general contractor handling the Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT) ongoing widening project along Highway 59, one of the busiest north-south corridors in Baldwin County.
Despite the freshly painted lines, the City of Gulf Shores has confirmed that the new lane will remain blocked off with traffic cones for the time being. City officials say the closure will stay in place until a companion pedestrian bridge, being built alongside Holmes Bridge as part of the same corridor project, is officially completed and opened to the public.
Why the Lane Is Staying Closed
The decision to keep the newly striped lane out of service is a safety measure, not a delay in the striping work itself. According to the city, the temporary cone closure is designed to preserve a safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists who currently rely on that portion of the bridge to cross the Intracoastal Waterway while construction continues nearby.
Once the dedicated pedestrian bridge is finished, foot and bicycle traffic will be shifted onto that separate structure, and the newly striped vehicle lane on Holmes Bridge can then be opened to drivers. Until that happens, keeping the lane closed prevents cars from mixing with pedestrians and cyclists in a space that was not yet built to safely accommodate both.
Part of a Larger Highway 59 Widening Effort
The lane striping is one visible piece of ALDOT’s broader project to widen Highway 59 through Gulf Shores, a corridor that sees heavy seasonal traffic from residents, tourists, and beachgoers heading to and from the Gulf Coast. Highway 59 is the primary route connecting Gulf Shores to communities farther north in Baldwin County, and Holmes Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway is a key chokepoint on that route.
Widening projects of this scale are typically completed in phases, with utility work, bridge modifications, and lane restriping often finished well before a new lane is actually opened to traffic. The pedestrian bridge component of the project is intended to give people traveling on foot or by bicycle a permanent, dedicated crossing separate from vehicle lanes, improving safety for everyone using the corridor once construction wraps up.
What Drivers and Pedestrians Should Expect
In the meantime, the City of Gulf Shores is asking motorists to use extra caution while traveling over Holmes Bridge. Because pedestrians and cyclists are still using part of the bridge to cross the waterway during this transitional period, drivers should be mindful of foot and bicycle traffic near the construction zone and avoid any temptation to use the cordoned-off lane before it is officially opened.
City officials have thanked residents for their patience as the project moves forward, noting that the improvements represent an important long-term investment in the safety and capacity of one of Gulf Shores’ most heavily traveled crossings. No specific date has been announced for when the pedestrian bridge will be complete or when the new vehicle lane will open, and the city said updates will follow as the project progresses.
Residents and visitors planning to cross Holmes Bridge in the coming weeks should anticipate continued cone closures and construction activity in the area, and are encouraged to allow extra time when traveling through the corridor.