MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The state of Alabama has been awarded $550 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for the construction of a bridge connecting I-10 from Mobile to the eastern shore of Baldwin County, U.S Sen. Katie Britt and Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Friday.
“This federal funding will be a game-changer, not just for Mobile and Baldwin Counties, but for our entire state and region,” Ivey said Friday in a statement.
“This is exactly how our infrastructure dollars should be spent, and I thank the federal government for their recognition of and support for this critical project.”
The more than half a billion dollars were awarded to Alabama through the Bridge Investment Program, a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation that was established under the 2021 Infrastructure Bill.
The project will see a six-lane bridge constructed over the river in downtown Mobile that would connect to an expanded and elevated Bayway to U.S. 98 in Daphne, along with some additional interchange improvements in Baldwin and Mobile counties.
Britt, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, championed the announcement in a statement Friday, calling it a “huge win for Alabamians and any American who drives along I-10.”
“I was proud to help lead Alabama’s entire congressional delegation in support of this well-deserved grant award, and I appreciate Gov. Ivey’s continued partnership and the leadership of the (metropolitan planning organizations) and local officials who have spearheaded this community-driven, crucial project,” Britt said.
“Returning Alabamians’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars back to our great state is a top priority of mine in the Senate, and I’ll continue fighting to do just that.”
The project has long been a priority of Alabama’s congressional delegation, with efforts to secure federal funding going back several years.
Just last month, all seven of Alabama’s representatives in the U.S. House, as well as the state’s two representatives in the Senate, Sens. Britt and Tommy Tuberville, signed onto a letter urging U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to consider awarding Alabama for the bridge project.
Other than the lone Democratic member of Congress from Alabama, Rep. Terri Sewell, however, all of Alabama’s congressional delegation voted against the 2021 Infrastructure Bill. Britt was not in office at the time.
Local leaders, including Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, also celebrated the announcement, with Stimpson calling the investment a “monumental boost” for the entire region and beyond.
“I want to thank the USDOT and the White House for their efforts advancing this project, which benefits everything from daily commuters to hurricane evacuations to the growth of our port and industrial base,” Stimpson said Friday in a statement.
“I also want to thank Governor Kay Ivey for keeping this project alive over the last few years. Without her unwavering support, we wouldn’t be here today. The benefits of today’s announcement will be felt along the entire I-10 corridor from Florida to California!”
Alabama Department of Transportation Chief Engineer Ed Austin said that with the award, which is the second-largest in the grant program’s history, behind only the $1.4 billion awarded to Kentucky, the state is now in a position to break ground on the project as soon as 2025.
“To say we’re grateful that our federal partners are recognizing the project’s national importance is an understatement,” Austin said in a statement.
The $550 million grant award is part of the second round of grant awards under the Bridge Investment Program, with the first, at $2.1 billion, being awarded in January of 2023.