Mobile Bridge and Bayway project to be delayed by two months

The Mobile Bay causeway and city skyline at sunset. (Getty Photos)

Work on the Mobile Bridge and Bayway project will be held up for a couple of months as state and local officials review possibilities for reducing the cost of the construction project.

The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), along with the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization, said in a statement Friday they will take 60 days to review the cost-saving options for the project.

“This project – like other construction projects around the country – faces the headwinds of inflation and interest rates. It is a wise choice for ALDOT to take time to refine cost estimates and look at additional funding options,” said Mobile MPO Chair Sandy Stimpson, who is also the mayor of Mobile.

Officials will take the time to review and refine the construction costs, plans for financing the project and sources for additional funding, according to ALDOT Chief Engineer Ed Austin.

The project will consist of a cable stay bridge over the river, as well as improvements to Broad and Virginia streets in Mobile and the West Tunnel. The second, centered in Baldwin County, will erect a new Bayway to replace the current one, about 50 years old.

The state applied for but was denied a $500 million grant from the Mega Program, created after Congress passed the bipartisan infrastructure package in 2021.

The project mostly relies on financing, with $1.2 billion coming through the sale of bonds and another $1.1 billion from federal loans using the Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA).

Thus far, the project has been allocated $125 million coming from a federal grant through former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby’s office, and another $250 million from the state. Tolls have been proposed to remunerate the borrowing costs, charging motorists $5.50 for crossing the bridge without an ALGO Pass. It will be $2.50 for those with a pass and a $40 unlimited use option also available for people for purchase for daily commuters between Mobile and Baldwin counties.

“Every major construction project in the country is being affected by economic factors, so it makes sense to work with local officials and explore potential cost-saving measures,” Austin said in the release.

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