A Saturday afternoon chat with some of the area’s elected officials led to discussions about many of the issues affecting Pleasure Island and the surrounding communities.
U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne, State Senator Chris Elliott and Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon sat down with citizens and business leaders at the Gulf Coast Real Estate & Wealth EXPO this weekend to talk about the economy and related topics.
One of the topics Kennon touched on first was healthcare.
“We’re a long ways from the hospital,” Kennon said. “In the summer, it can be a real bear. We are very aware of that. Hopefully we are going to see a freestanding emergency room somewhere in the very near future right along the Canal.
Kennon said the emergency response from the fire department is speedy, but ambulance response time has been lagging in the past.

“We found out in the summer time we’re having difficult situations sometimes getting ambulances south because of traffic,” Kennon said. “We’ve seen waits of 45 minutes up to an hour. That’s not tolerable, so we’re going to buy our own ambulances in Orange Beach.”

Extending the Beach Express
Attendees of the forum were given the opportunity to ask the speakers questions. One question levied at the trio was whether or not a plan was in place to extend the Beach Express to I-65.
Elliott said the parcel of land needed to complete that project is slated to be acquired.
“Money has already been set aside from the RESTORE council,” Elliott said. “It lays out the path of the roadway. The right-of-way acquisition is set to take place; all the permitting is taking place. It is literally ready to go. The only thing is we need $200 million to do it. That’s not as insurmountable as it used to be, and we’re continuing to advocate for that in Montgomery.”
Elliott said the roadway would be good not only to get tourists in town faster but also to alleviate traffic elsewhere.
“That’s the key,” Elliott said. “If we can move some of this traffic off 59—anybody who has been to Foley in the summer time knows it’s ridiculous. I think it will be a good way to develop the rest of the county up there as well. That road also flanks the mega site.”

I-10 bridge
Byrne highlighted how the Port of Mobile was the fastest-growing container port in the country three years running. He talked about how deepening the ship channel would be continue that growth, but also how a better bridge out of Mobile would help the entire region.
“I hear about this all the time,” Byrne said. “It is without fail that someone will come up to me in the House of Representatives and say ‘Hey, I was going to Orange Beach, but I was coming from over in New Orleans, and it took me an hour and a half to get there.’ It’s great once they get here, but if we give them a negative experience before they get here because they are stuck on the interstate, that’s not a good thing.”
Byrne said we should be breaking ground on a new bridge by this time next year.
“It’s going to be the third-tallest bridge in the nation,” Byrne said. “It’s happening folks. It’s just taken too darn long to get there.”