MONTGOMERY, Ala. and WASHINGTON – State leaders on Thursday will announce major steps forward on finally completing the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project after an easing of federal restrictions that had delayed construction.
The Alabama Department of Transportation confirmed to Alabama Daily News that the long-anticipated project is ready to move forward, with ground expected to be broken this year and completed by 2031.
“The project includes construction of a new cable-stayed Mobile River Bridge, improvements to key interchanges and traffic flow throughout the corridor, and enhancements to the existing Bayway to provide six lanes of capacity across Mobile Bay,” said Tony Harris, chief of communication and government relations for ALDOT.
The news comes as U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt published an op-ed giving President Donald Trump credit for the progress on the bridge project.
“He knows infrastructure is about building roads and bridges that serve the American people, not funding wish lists that just make projects more expensive and harder to complete,” the senators wrote.
Further details will be released later today, including the total cost of the project. But Harris confirmed the basics of the all important toll structure, the issue that scuttled the project after a public backlash in 2019.
“Under the plan, no tolls would be collected until the new bridge opens, currently projected around 2031,” Harris said. “Existing free routes, including the Wallace Tunnel, Bankhead Tunnel, the Causeway and Africatown Bridge, will remain open and will not be tolled.”
“Toll rates have been designed to ensure reasonable costs for frequent users who choose to utilize the route. Toll rates are well below current and anticipated inflation rates since the new toll structure was first announced in 2021.”
The plans include the construction of a new Bayway at a later point as more funding becomes available.
Last May, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would release the $550 million federal grant awarded to the bridge project in 2024.
Alabama Daily News will provide updates as more details are released.