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Alabama Paves Route Across Perdido River; Florida Side Remains Dirt
November 1, 2011
Baldwin County has completed an environmentally friendly paving project on Barrineau Park Road on the Alabama side of the Perdido River, but the Florida side will remain dirt.
Baldwin County paved the 2.8 miles of the former dirt road from the Perdido River to Highway 112. The Florida side stretches from the river to the intersection of South Highway 99 and Highway 196 in the Barrineau Park community.
Escambia County owns the bridge across the Perdido River, according to District 5 Commissioner Kevin White. But the county-maintained dirt road on the Florida side is privately owned by the Barrineau Estate. It is only about four-tenths of a mile long, but the county has no right to pave it.
It is the only east-west route across the Perdido River between Muscogee Road in Cantonment and Highway 31 in Escambia County, Ala. The road is often used by farmers and ranchers as they transport goods to market from North Escambia to Robertsdale, Ala. It is also a shortcut route for many families to activities and shopping in Baldwin County.
Baldwin County identified the road as one of the county’s most environmentally damaging roads and funded the work with a 2007-2008 Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) grant funds to eliminate or reduce the amount of sediment that reaches waterways and wetlands.
“This project substantially reduced the amount of silt and sediment that was being washed into the Perdido River and Bay and will allow for the continued protection of native plants, fish and wildlife habitats in the wetland areas,” according to a Baldwin County press release.
Pictured above: Before and after images of Barrineau Park Road in Baldwin County, Ala. Pictured inset: Work on the Baldwin County side of the Perdido River in August, 2010. Pictured below: Barrineau Park Road on the Florida side of the Perdido River. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Alabama Paves Route Across Perdido River; Florida Side Remains Dirt”
Mud and silt suspended in water will go wherever the water goes. If the sand bars are stopping the water, they are stopping the mud and silt. If they are not stopping the water, they are not stopping what is suspended in the water.
David contemplating hydrology
or something like that
“If it gets muddy in the ditches, that means the ditches are carrying silt away to the river. The silt can overload the river, making it harder for fish’s gills to work, covering aquatic plants and killing them. Most of our creeks and rivers used to be much deeper than they currently are.”
If that is the case we better hire a crew to start clearing out log jams that have been on the rivers since Hurricane Ivan. The log jams have created sand bars where the river used to be 10-15′ deep.
The FL side of the bridge is relatively flat, unlike the AL side which drained straight into the river. The “mud” on the FL side would also have to make it past the sand bars before it can drain into the river.
REGARDING:
“The Florida side does not even get muddy except in the ditches. Why does it matter if they pave it or not? You can drive a car down it after a rain with no problem. ”
If it gets muddy in the ditches, that means the ditches are carrying silt away to the river. The silt can overload the river, making it harder for fish’s gills to work, covering aquatic plants and killing them. Most of our creeks and rivers used to be much deeper than they currently are. It’s been rough on native flora and fauna.
David for clean, clear, deep draft streams
The Florida side does not even get muddy except in the ditches. Why does it matter if they pave it or not? You can drive a car down it after a rain with no problem.
Also, there is not one owner of the property. It is in a life estate, with about 20-30 different family members who “own” it.
I use to have to drive it everyday when it was dirt going back and forth to work in Mobile so nobody was happier to see it paved than me. But the FL side has never been a problem.
I wish the county would take ownership of that portion. Ever since Mr. Barrineau passed away, the whole estate has gone to crap. The majority of the family that took it over don’t deserve it. Never around when they were needed, but quick to take claim once he was gone.
“Good Ole Boy” politics, pretty much sums it up!
This route saves me about 26 miles round trip from my house to Baldwin Co. I would sure like to see Escambia Co. pave their portion.
Should get real exciting when a lost tourist hits that mud on the FL side this winter. Sad that the owner family doesn’t want FL to pave it.
I know the majority of traffic on this road other than the random citizen are farmers but mostly logging trucks. The county saw fit to build a new bridge,install countless no parking signs and grade it every so often..Take that money and pave it !
Oversight…It’s called a quit claim, not a quick claim.
Mr mud rider ur probably one of the reasons it took so long to get it paved. And probably one of the disrespectful morons that kept it tore up even the whole time they were working on it and they had to keep redoing what they had already done.
if its privately owned after waiting all these years for the whole road to be paved and making access to baldwin county so much better for us what if the owners of it decided to close off the fla side. They closed off the old cc bridege road in seminole
Leave the FL side dirt.
used to me the best place to mudride…
I am so grateful that they finally paved this road. We go and ride horses in the Alabama on the Perdido Water Management property and we have had so much trouble trying to get through that road for years. The log trucks tear it up and there is no hope for a regular truck and trailer. From what I have heard, the Barrineau family does not want to pave that road. It doesnt make much sense though that the county maintains it yet cannot pave it. Oh well, the Alabama side is much improved and appreciated!
It makes absolutely no sense to have a road completely paved on the Alabama side of the bridge and dirt on the Florida side. Escambia County has gone to great lengths to keep the teenagers from congregating and drinking there when both sides were dirt roads; now it’s time to pave the remaining road and let the traffic keep them from congregating.
“…the county-maintained dirt road on the Florida side is privately owned by the Barrineau Estate.”
This sounds like forked tongue politician double speak, and Kevin White is clueless in why he’s in danger of not getting re-elected. If it is private, why is the county maintaining it? Here’s another thing, why would the county own a bridge that has no right of way access? Immediate proceedings must be started to gain the road’s right of way. First, ask for a quick claim from the estate. If that doesn’t happen, proceed with the eminent domain process while citing the years of public maintenance on the road that has been allowed. The county commission shouldn’t just sit on it hands and say, “We can’t” because the voters know differently.
Did the thought ever occur in Kevin’s mind, to ask the Barrineau family for permission to pave the road. Shyness is one thing, but this is something else. Comm 101 should be a prerequisite for commissioners.