Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said she has authorized the start of construction on the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project.
The project, with a construction cost of more than $3.2 billion, is the largest transportation infrastructure project in Alabama history, the governor said, and is necessary in order to support the state’s Gulf Coast region and beyond.
“At long last, we are officially moving from talking about the need for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project to actually building it,” Ivey said. “This project will transform travel through Baldwin and Mobile counties, strengthen a vital interstate corridor and benefit Alabama for generations to come. This is a win for the citizens in Baldwin and Mobile counties, a win for the state of Alabama and a win for the Gulf Coast region. It’s time to build the bridge, y’all!”
To authorize construction, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), working on behalf of the Alabama Toll Road, Bridge and Tunnel Authority, issued a notice to proceed to the Kiewit Massman Traylor (KMT) design-build team on September 25. ALDOT’s action follows the close of bond sales and federal financing in September.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined Ivey and other Alabama leaders on Friday for the groundbreaking.
The project will improve I-10 capacity between Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama as well as construct a new six-lane cable-stayed Mobile River Bridge using the existing good condition of the Bayway by restriping it to provide six lanes of capacity across Mobile Bay. The project is expected to improve traffic flow and increase safety while keeping costs low. Part of the project will be paid for using tolls, officials said.