Alabama City Dock Rehabilitation Project

Slated for its grand re-opening in the fall of 2027, the Bayou La Batre City Docks are making headway on a major renovation project to reinstate the area’s reputation as the “Seafood Capital of Alabama.”

Historically a regional epicenter of shrimping and shipbuilding industries on the Mississippi Sound, the city docks in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, sustained damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and later environmental devastation caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

The redevelopment of the site is being funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury – Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (Restore Act) of 2012.

The project began in 2025, and construction is currently led by contractor Ben M. Radcliff, Inc. with docks designed and manufactured by Marina Technologies (MTI). The new docks will include 100 slips utilizing MTI’s Aluminum Dock System S-190 with premium non-skid composite decking with dual top-access utility troughs and aluminum cover panels. The new docks are 8 feet and 10 feet wide with 3- and 4-foot-wide finger piers and 6-foot-wide T-heads and include adjustable cleats (12-inch and 18-inch), silent, flexible rubber dock connections and soft PVC fenders with corner bumpers.

In addition, the project will include a 4,200-square-foot elevated marina building, bait shop and floating fuel dock. The public will also be able to utilize a four-lane concrete boat ramp with protected courtesy docks, expanded parking with 100 trailer spaces and 240 standard spaces, as well as a green space with landscaping and benches.

“Marina Technologies (MTI) was chosen for the project because our unique dock system is able to provide all the challenging requirements for this demanding application,” said Bob Berry, project development manager at MTI. “The marina is designed to weather the storms this area is known for and to provide decades of trouble-free service.”

The project also includes an extensive demolition effort and the construction of new bulkheads and rock revetment. Another unique element to the design will be the seafood marketplace that will include a shrimp boat sales pier allowing direct-from-boat public seafood sales. The marketplace will also offer open-air pavilions and public restrooms.