Gulf Shores Begins Phase II of Public Beach Transformation –
The City of Gulf Shores, Alabama has started the next phase of its ambitious $15 million public beach revitalization project, known as Gulf Place. Designed by TSW, the goal of Gulf Place is to connect the beachfront public park to the coastal downtown walking district, enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety, and offer new, environmentally friendly recreation facilities for families.
The first phase of the project, which focused on the western end of Gulf Place, saw the construction of a pervious parking lot, festival event space, public safety building, renovated public restrooms, 20-foot wide beach promenade, dune restoration, shade pavilion, and formal palm court. With Phase I successfully completed, the city is now ready to move on to Phase II, which will extend the beach promenade, create a waterfront town green with an amphitheater, children’s playground, and shade structures, improve traffic flow, build a new restroom building, and install turtle-friendly lighting.
One of TSW’s main focuses in designing Gulf Place was to protect the area from future weather-related damage, such as storm surge. The plan includes improvements to the waterfront development to preserve and enhance the Gulf’s protective dune system, buildings constructed to coastal fortified standards, and robust pile-supported paving designed to withstand storm surge without impeding flow.
In addition, TSW is also working on a concurrent phase of the project to make the adjacent Beach Road safer for pedestrians and cyclists. This includes reducing roadway lane widths, upgrading crosswalks at intersections, and installing a protected bicycle lane and multi-use trail. These upgrades will provide a safer environment for users of all levels of experience and encourage more people to explore the area on foot or bike.
The final phase of work is expected to begin in fall 2018 and will complete the transformation of Gulf Place into a beautiful, accessible, and walkable beachfront park.
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