Bayfront Park to be Closed to the Public March 31, 2022 for Construction and Renovation

Posted on: Mar 30th, 2022 | News and Announcements Press Releases featured news

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. – Bayfront Park, located at 15961 Dauphin Island Parkway in Coden, Alabama, will be closed to the public effective March, 31, 2022 for infrastructure and amenity improvements, as approved by the Mobile County Commission at its regular meeting on March 28, 2022.

Bayfront Park will be closed to the public until construction and renovation are complete. It’s estimated the park will be closed about a year.

Park renovation includes construction of a pocket beach (protected sandy beach), new restroom and park office, new playground, new parking areas, new boardwalk, pavilions and more. Once it reopens, Bayfront Park will have improved amenities and generally enhanced park infrastructure. Designated conservation areas within the park will continue to be protected.

“The pocket beach will be a protected area that creates another public access point on the western shore of Mobile Bay for swimming, paddling and other uses,” said District 3 Commissioner Randall Dueitt. “Once complete, Bayfront Park, along with the recent acquisition of Cedar Point Pier, will provide destination points on Dauphin Island Parkway for local residents and visitors to Dauphin Island,” he added.

Bayfront Park is a 20-acre park on Mobile Bay that includes wetlands and coastal birding habitats. Bayfront Park’s shoreline is currently lined with riprap (rocky material) to protect the shore from erosion. It is site #46 on Alabama’s Coastal Birding Trail. Its location also offers a unique vantage point for viewing ocean-going vessels in the Mobile Ship channel as they near entry into the Gulf of Mexico. The park also offers beautiful views of the sunrise over Mobile Bay. About 1,200 people a week stop at the park during peak summer months.

Park improvements are part of Mobile County Commission’s multi-year, parks improvement initiative that includes $35 million for increased public access to water through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) and other sources. Funding for Bayfront Park’s waterfront improvements comes from Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (ALTIG) Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Assessment Trustees.