Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson thanks Biden, Buttigieg after USDOT announces grant for Mobile River Bridge, Bayway Project

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson shared his gratitude Wednesday after the United States Department of Transportation announced it awarded $550 million to the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project.

The project was part of a larger $5 billion effort to restore, reconstruct, and repair 13 nationally significant bridges , and according to Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, it was one of the largest federal grants for an Alabama project.

News 5 first reported on the award last week before the USDOT formally announced the award on July 17.

In new remarks, United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the project was necessary because “For too long America let bridges fall into disrepair, which left people less safe, disrupted our supply chains, and cost people time and money – but now the Biden-Harris Administration is changing that with the biggest investment in our bridges since the Eisenhower era.”

In a statement, Stimpson thanked President Joe Biden and Buttigieg for “recognizing the importance of the project” that would bring a six-lane Mobile River Bridge and a new Bayway along with related interchanges in Baldwin and Mobile counties.

“With the growth of our region, and as the Port of Mobile has continued to become the gateway to America on the Gulf Coast, many at the Federal Highway Administration and USDOT have worked hard to help keep this project alive,” Stimpson said.

“Put simply, this project will make life better for the millions of Americans who use Interstate 10. Its impacts will benefit commuters, commerce, tourism, hurricane evacuations, and public safety.”

For more information on the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project, check out WKRG News 5’s past coverage:

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