AASHTO Journal - Alabama Finalizes Mobile Bridge and Bayway Financing

The Alabama Toll Road, Bridge, and Tunnel Authority has completed the bond and federal loan financing necessary to begin Phase One construction of the $3.2 billion Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project – clearing one of the final major milestones before full construction begins in October this year.

[Above photo by the Alabama DOT]

The Alabama Department of Transportation noted that Phase One of this project – which will eventually entail building a new six-lane cable-stayed bridge across the Mobile River and six lanes of capacity across the existing Bayway – will build roadway connections to the new Mobile River Bridge, along with improvements throughout the I-10 corridor in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

Early construction activities – including geotechnical work, test piles, site preparation and procurement of long-lead materials – are already underway, the agency said and, with project financing complete, it expects to authorize the design-build team to proceed with full construction beginning on October 1.

[Editor’s note: The agency is also set to begin a $71 million capacity improvement project along I-85 in Montgomery that will expand the corridor from two lanes to three lanes in each direction, extending from the end of the existing three-lane section at Taylor Road to Jenkins Creek.]

Alabama DOT said the new bridge will provide an interstate route across the Mobile River for hazardous-material freight that is prohibited from using the Wallace Tunnel – meaning it currently must travel through local streets and neighborhoods – as well as improve access to the Port of Mobile.

No tolls will be collected during construction, the agency added; tolling will begin only when the new bridge and Phase One improvements open to traffic, currently projected for late 2031.

The agency said financing for Phase One of this project is comprised of a $2.52 billion Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or TIFIA loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau; a $550 million Bridge Investment Program grant and a $125 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America or INFRA grant, both from USDOT; plus significant state investment along with the proceeds from a state bond sale completed this September.

“This advancement marks the final piece needed for the decades-awaited Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project,” noted Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) in a statement. “Once it is completed, this project will finally alleviate our traffic gridlock across Mobile Bay.”

John Cooper, director of the Alabama DOT, added that this “phased” construction approach has become more common with megaprojects across the country, with the new Mobile River Bridge and Phase One improvements expected to open to traffic in approximately five years.

“This is the point where years of planning become construction,” he said. “The financing is in place, the construction price is established, and we’re ready to build. The support and flexibility provided at the federal level have been extraordinary and were essential to getting us here.”

In a separate statement, the USDOT noted that federal funding “flexibility” allowed Alabama to divide the project into phases while preserving the long-term commitment to replace the Bayway.

Alabama DOT said that this bridge/byway project was revived in 2021 at the request of the Mobile and Eastern Shore metropolitan planning organizations following the termination of the previous development effort in 2019. The current plan reflects priorities established through that local process while incorporating significant federal, state and local collaboration.