Judge Rules Against Cooper On Gulf Shores Bridge

According to Montgomery County Circuit Judge Jimmy Pool, Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) John Cooper “acted in bad faith” and attempted to put a “private company out of business” when pursuing a $120-million alternative bridge in Gulf Shores, while concealing his efforts from the public, AL.com reports. Pool ordered that all construction of the two-lane bridge approximately 1.1 miles west of the existing toll bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores be stopped. He then criticized Cooper of engaging in a “years’ long campaign” to put the Baldwin County Bridge Co.—longtime owner and operator of the Foley Beach Express toll bridge adjacent to The Wharf—out of business. ALDOT said it will file a notice of appeal with the Alabama State Supreme Court. A $52-million contract was awarded to Scott Bridge Co. last October to build the new structure, though estimates for the complete project are expected to be at least $100 million. Pool added that the decision to build the bridge occurred “without conducting a single public meeting” or “conducting a single traffic study showing whether there was a legitimate need for it.” He intends for the bridge money to be used on “other pressing infrastructure projects throughout the State of Alabama.”