GULF SHORES, Ala. – The state unveiled its plan for the new Little Lagoon Pass bridge at a recent public hearing and though attendance was sparse, the plan elicited positive responses.

“There were only five people that actually commented and it, I think for the most part, well-received,” Public Works Director Mark Acreman said. “We had a group of people who wanted to make sure they considered some items. We had some folks that wanted to make sure they looked at those jetties, the bulkhead that comes out to the mouth of the pass. Make sure they took a hard look at that because of the historical problems they’ve had with jetties in that location.”

The state is under a court order to keep the pass clear of sand and sediment following a lawsuit from the early 1990s filed by the Little Lagoon Preservation Society.

“We are generally overall supportive of what they are doing,” Dennis Hatfield, vice president of the LLPS, said. “We’ve been involved and they’ve definitely talked to us about the redesign on the pass and the bridge that they were putting in. It’s all good.

“There’s a few small issues that we’re still talking to them about but we support the plans and overall we think they’re good.”

The major concern, Acreman said, was access and how long the project would take to complete. It is expected to begin after the National Shrimp Festival this October and take about two years to complete.

“Others were really more concerned about how long this will take and if they’re going to be blocked off,” he said. “But they are doing a bypass bridge so we’ll have continuous flow throughout the project.”

The area has become popular for those using the beach and families with small children like the shallow lagoon side for children to play in. During most of the construction, the parking lot will not be accessible.

“The public access to the beach will still be open there just won’t be any public parking available,” Acreman said. “The public parking area would have to be closed, or be recommended closed because that’s the only area for a lay down area for construction. I don’t think the parking lot will be completely inaccessible for two years, but for probably a year and a half of that.”

Resident Sharon Moore lives in the area and said traffic there has steadily increased.

“We had women’s club down there doing our beach cleanup again and we couldn’t get parking spaces for our cars and that was early in the morning. It is crowded from 8 in the morning to I don’t know how late at night. People are parking across the street now in vacant properties. It’s a wonderful place for little kids because it’s so shallow and it’s become very, very popular.”

Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn Doughty said the city needs to get the word out to residents and visitors to make sure they are aware of other areas where they can go while this area is inaccessible.

Resident Geoff Gaberino of Gulf Shores Vacation Rentals says more signs directing people to public beach access are needed.

“That puts a great deal more pressure on the other public beach accesses and is that a concern?” Gaberino said. “It’s a concern that we don’t have very visible public beach access signs to let people know where they can go.”