Baldwin County Road 55 Closure Sparks: LOXLEY, Ala. Confusion swept through Baldwin County on November 6, 2023, as a lengthy drainage project redirected drivers away from County Road 55. The closure, in effect from Monday morning until February, stirred surprise among locals traversing the busy stretch between Loxley and Silverhill.
Spencer Baumhower, caught off guard during his commute, remarked, Came to work this morning, driving back for lunch and roads closed so definitely a surprise. Uhm, just going to definitely have to change my route up a little bit.
Alfred Knox shared the sentiment, saying, I got a surprise. I was thinking I was going to be able to go straight through, but unfortunately, it looks like Im going to have to go around.
The county initiated the closure at 8:00 a.m. to embark on a long-overdue drainage project, prompting motorists to navigate marked detours. Despite clear signage, the abrupt closure surprised many.
County crews plan to spend the next three months replacing a culvert damaged during heavy flooding caused by Hurricane Sally in 2020. Motorists must either seek alternative routes or follow detour signs directing them through Flackler Road, County Road 49, and Barlow Road.
Baldwin County Engineer Frank Lundy explained, This is a four-mile detour, and unfortunately, thats what we have to do. We took the best route that we could for the project, for to move the traveling public around this site. My advice is, if you can, try to avoid the area. Take an alternate route.
The extended timeline for the project is due to the replacement of the current corrugated pipe with a more permanent box culvert, requiring substantial site preparation and labor.
Acknowledging the inconvenience of closing a busy road, highway officials considered the time of year. Lundy stated, Obviously, theres much a lot more traffic in the county during the summer months. We know its an inconvenience, but this is the optimal time of year to minimize impacts as much as we can.
The project’s cost is $650,000, with ALDOT and the Federal Highway Administration covering 80 percent, and the county handling the remainder. County Highway officials anticipate tackling at least a half dozen more Sally-related projects like this in the future.
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