Alabama Supreme Court allows construction of Intercoastal Waterway br…

The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday released an opinion reversing a preliminary injunction that has halted progress on the construction of a new bridge across Baldwin County’s Intercoastal Waterway.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Jimmy Pool in May enjoined the Alabama Department of Transportation from continuing construction on the bridge after Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC) alleged ALDOT Director John Cooper acted in bad faith, building the bridge to damage BCBC.

The new free-access bridge will be just a mile from BCBC’s privately owned toll bridge near The Wharf in Orange Beach. 

ALDOT has maintained that the new bridge is being constructed to alleviate congestion on Holmes Bridge, the only other bridge across the waterway, due in part to people who don’t want to pay the toll to use BCBC’s bridge. 

Without dissenting vote, the ALSC found that the bad faith claim against the Cooper is inappropriate due to the state’s immunity. 

“Here, BCBC’s…