Thread: Perdido Pass closing

Apparently the state doesn't have the money to repair the seawall, and they don't know yet where to get it. We may have lost that spot for a whild :'(
http://www2.wkrg.com/news/2012/may/16/p-ar-3805599/

Maybe they could figure out a way to put signs there and get some sponsorship money?

Well that SUX!
How far west does the fence go?
Sure hope they get it fixed by the end of the year (yeah, I know not likely)

On today's front page Mobile Register...
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/05/alab...l_erosion.html

[size=14pt]Alabama Point seawall erosion prompts ALDOT to build fence restricting tourist, fishing access [/size]
Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012, 7:15 PM Updated: Friday, May 18, 2012, 5:53 AM
By Jeff Dute, Press-Register


Public-safety concerns linked to severe and ongoing erosion around the Alabama Point seawall in Orange Beach have resulted in the construction of a chain-link fence that cuts off access to most of the popular tourist and fishing area.

The fence prevents people from getting within 10 feet of the wall and stretches a little more than 1,000 feet southwest from the bridge. Sinkholes large and small have formed along the wall where the asphalt parking lot has collapsed.

The Alabama Department of Transportation, which owns the property, had initially set up plastic barricades to keep people from falling into the sinkholes, said Orange Beach City Administrator Ken Grimes.

But that didn’t work, said Public Works Director Kit Alexander, explaining that her office recently received a report that someone had crossed the barricade and injured a leg after falling into one of the holes.

"After I went down there and looked at it, I became concerned," Alexander said. "When there’s a potentially hazardous situation like that, we have to follow up. After all of the things they’ve done over the years to repair the wall and parking lot, I believe ALDOT felt they ultimately had no choice but to put up that fence."

Vince Calametti, ALDOT’s Ninth District chief engineer, said the state has been fighting a losing battle with erosion, patching and repairing the nearly 30-year-old wall multiple times over the past several years.

Calametti believes the ongoing problem is caused by rust, as the metal portion of the wall at the tide/splash line is alternately exposed to saltwater and air. Over time, the metal has corroded, opening holes in the barrier.

Fast water currents sweeping in both directions through the pass easily enter the holes and pull sand from behind the wall. As the sand is removed, the asphalt parking lot on top collapses, he said.

"We’ve repaired and patched, but it’s an ongoing battle we’re losing against the stability of that seawall," Calametti said. "We can’t keep ahead of it. It was a tough decision, especially now (during tourist season)."

How long the fence remains in place will be a direct function of how long it takes to find the money to repair the seawall for good, city and state officials agreed.

[img width=380 height=308]http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/11036837-large.jpg[/img]
A losing battle to prevent erosion along the Alabama Point seawall from further causing the adjacent parking lot to collapse has prompted the Alabama Department of Transportation, which owns the property, to erect a chainlink fence cutting off access to the popular Orange Beach tourist and fishing attraction for public safety reasons, according ALDOT and city officials.

Calametti put an estimated $8 million price tag on a complete rebuild, but also said ALDOT had already been in the process of looking at more cost-effective remedies. One idea, he said, is to drive a secondary sheet-piling wall behind the existing wall, then tie them together with existing hardware and newly welded metal buttresses.

ALDOT money could be available, but Calametti said the project "would be in competition for funding with every other project" in the district, which also includes Mobile, Escambia and Conecuh counties.

Grimes said the city may also look to Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds because the site likely incurred additional damage when used as a staging area during the frantic efforts to close Perdido Pass with a metal boom during the BP oil spill in 2010.

Alexander also mentioned that city officials will be in Montgomery next week to discuss with ALDOT and conservation department officials a possible public/private partnership that could result in the creation of a multi-use park on the transportation department acreage and adjoining parcels owned by the city and a developer.

No matter how long it’s closed, avowed shore and pier fishermen David Thornton of Mobile said the loss of access would be felt by many.

"This is an extremely popular free fishing and tourist spot, both day and night, year-round," Thornton said. "There is probably not a more angler-friendly fishing spot in Alabama where relatively deep water access is available so close to where you park your vehicle, especially for wheelchair bound anglers."

Thornton also pointed out that the area is popular with people who just want to "sit in the car and watch the water or the boats or the fishermen while they talk on the phone or eat lunch."

Thanks for beating the drum for us! Wish whoever fell hadn't told! :evil:

This is not good news;(public / private partnerships) will mean that the private part of that;will want a return on their investment,with the state getting their cut.Then the new bridge at west beach inlet ,will close that area to the public this fall at the height of the flounder run.Each of these closures, may bring us fees,to these free access points, when they reopen.The sea wall at Alabame Point is not to provide the public with a spot to
fish;it is to protect the west bridge approach from the westward erosion of the of the pass which has produced this problem. The additional property talked about is the only thing that needs to be under private control;and if the city wants to lease or sell it ;it is theirs to with as they please.The rest of that area belongs to all Alabamains, and does not need to parceled out for a private busness parking.Both need to reopen as free to the public access points to the waters and beachs of Alabama .

http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tos-6-18-2012/

Some good pics from FinChaser and me, but you have to be a forum member to see them ;-)