GULF SHORES, Ala. – Mayor Robert Craft says he and city officials have been in talks with the Alabama Department of Transportation about ways to aid traffic in town following a record-breaking tourist season.

“We’ve had initial discussions with ALDOT and Director (Mike) Cooper of ALDOT to talk about some of the bigger threats to the community which is traffic we saw this year,” Craft said. “We saw a lot of congested traffic on in and out when people were leaving and a lot of random times.”

The record season following the summer of the BP oil spill exposed some needs traffic wise, Craft said.

“I think traffic is becoming a bigger issue has we have more people in town and, in my opinion, more people going around an expensive bridge,” he said. “So they’re getting into our city with the increased fees over there.”

Craft hopes to addition of cameras will aid in the flow of traffic in Gulf Shores.

“We’re trying to work with them and they’ve been very cooperative with a strategy of doing some signal consolidations and putting some cameras and monitors on the signals on 59 and try to work toward a better way to move traffic,” Craft said.

This would work better than alternatives which include manually controlling the lights or having police officers directing traffic.

Craft said a proposed widening of Alabama 182 or Canal Road would be a big help. The project is in the state’s five-year plan, but funding is still up in the air.