USDOT awards $550 million for Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project

Editor’s Note: News 5 has updated this story to fix a typo in the grant amount.

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — The United States Department of Transportation has granted $550 million to the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project.

The discretionary grant comes from the USDOT’s Bridge Investment Program .

According to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, the grant is believed to be one of the largest federal grants for an Alabama project.

“It is a great day in Alabama,” a statement from Ivey said. “This federal funding will be a game-changer, not just for Mobile and Baldwin Counties, but for our entire state and region. 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 grant comes after groundbreaking was paused earlier this year as officials looked at cost-saving options because the project was set to cost anywhere from $2.8 million to $3.5 million as of April due to price increases.

“It is hard to overstate how important today’s announcement is for the future of Mobile,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “This funding is a monumental boost for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project, and we are moving full steam ahead.”

Mobile Chamber President and CEO Bradley Byrne now expects the project to start in early 2025.

“This is a huge development,” Byrne said. “And of course, it’s going to trigger the start to this project early next year. It’s important to be able to move people and goods efficiently.  Being able to have three lanes going each way and removing that bottleneck that we see day after day after day, that helps us move goods and people more efficiently. That’s good for the economy.”

Alabama Department of Transportation officials said this also speeds up the process for their end of the funding.

“This funding allows the project to move forward as ALDOT finalizes the TIFIA loan process,” ALDOT Chief Engineer Ed Austin said. “With USDOT’s continued support, as well as the strong support from state and local officials, we are now in a position to break ground on this project as soon as next year.”

Baldwin County officials are also excited and ready to get this project underway.

“The Eastern Shore MPO, our counterparts in Mobile, ALDOT and the governor have all worked tirelessly to advocate for this project and to ensure that it’s built in a way that benefits local residents and addresses national needs,” Fairhope City Councilman and Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization Chair Jack Burrell said.

“It is a project that deserves federal support like what was announced today, and with the USDOT’s continued support, we can build this bridge soon.”

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