Another Hurricane Evacuation Route

Whenever a hurricane forces coastal communities in Baldwin County to evacuate, traffic on Highway 59 heading north becomes a nightmare! But bumper to bumper beach traffic on 59 will be eliminated when the Foley Beach Express extension project is finished. The Alabama Department of Transportation has already cut two miles of new road on the southern end of the project route.

"It'll definitely help during an evacuation," says Summerdale resident Tina Bishop. "When a hurricane comes, people should be able to get out quickly."

"I live in Gulf Shores and there's always traffic backed up on Highway 59," says Ruby Jones.

Not everyone is happy about the project. Leonard Lawley lives on the extension route and says he's selling his property.

"We moved out here for peace and quiet," says Lawley. "The new, four-lane highway will create more traffic right here in my backyard. We don't even need another evacuation route, if people would live two or three days before a storm."

When the project is completed, the beach express extension will connect Summerdale with Interstate 10. The 26-million dollar highway project should be completed in five to seven years.