ROBERTSDALE, Alabama – An estimated crowd of 300 were on hand Friday as local, county and state officials, including Gov. Robert Bentley, former Gov. Fob James and former U.S. Rep. Sonny Callahan, broke ground for the Baldwin Beach Express and Interstate 10 Interchange at the intersection of the Baldwin Beach Express and U.S. Highway 90.

“This is the fulfillment of a dream,” Bentley said. “It is the dream of everyone here and I am just privileged to be a part of it.”

The 12.8 mile Baldwin Beach Express began with much planning and hope by local and state officials. The first initial study for the Baldwin Beach Express corridor, which stretches from the Foley Beach Express to Interstate 10, was completed in 2006 and work on the Baldwin Beach Express phases began shortly after that.

“We want to share this good news with the community,” said Baldwin County Commission Chairman Tucker Dorsey. “This project will not only make Baldwin County more competitive but it will help eliminate traffic on Highway 59, provide faster travel to the beaches and be a significant evacuation zone during disasters.”

The Baldwin Beach Express was divided into design phases which included the corridor study totaling $146,799.90 and then began with the second from Foley Beach Express to County Road 32 totaling $5,617,744.55; County Road 32 to U.S. Highway 90 totaling $48,041,515.57; U.S. Highway 90 to County Road 64 totaling $16,695,053.70 and County Road 64 to the Interstate 10 Interchange totaling $16,233,007.98.

The total project cost for the Baldwin Beach Express corridor stretching from the Foley Beach Express to the Interstate 10 Interchange totaled $86,734,121.70. These projects were funded with federal, state and county funding.

“This has been a long project that is very near and dear to my heart,” said Commission Vice Chairman Charles F. Gruber. “This is a group project that has included our legislative and governors and it’s a reality that will be a great benefit to the citizens and visitors in Baldwin County.”

Dorsey opened up the ceremony by introducing and thanking all the mayors, county workers and staffers for their work on the project.

“This was truly a group effort that spanned several administrations to make this happen,” he said. “”This is not just our project. This is everyone’s project.”

The invocation was presented by the Rev. Bennie Richardson with Morning Star Baptist Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, presented by Sen. Marc Kaehey.

Tim James and Callahan presented a project overview with a presentation of economic impact by Jason Padgett, chairman of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance.

“The completion of this project is essential to the continued economic recovery after the BP oil spill in 2010,” Padgett said.

Sen. Trip Pittman then introduced Bentley, followed by former Gov. Fob James, who closed the ceremony leading to the groundbreaking.

“During my education at that great university on the Eastern Plains, we learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line,” he said. “This project fits that criteria perfectly. This is something everyone in this state can be proud of.”

The Baldwin County Commission hopes to continue the growth of the Baldwin Beach Express from Interstate 10 to Interstate 65, which will provide additional opportunities for growth and access to Baldwin County’s Mega-Site.

Work will begin next week on the new Interstate 10 interchange, at County Road 68, that will connect to the Baldwin Beach Express, providing an additional four-lane route to and from the beaches, as well as providing another hurricane evacuation route when storms hit.

“The addition of a new route to the beaches of Baldwin County will help alleviate some of the traffic congestion currently experienced on other routes,” said Transportation Director John Cooper. “Also, the new corridor will provide new economic development opportunities in primarily rural areas and an additional hurricane evacuation route for residents leaving the coast in the wake of a major storm.”

The new $10.6 million interchange will be the final of four projects linking the interstate to the existing Foley Beach Express. Interstate 10 Exit 49 to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach is scheduled to be open in the fall of 2014.