On Wednesday, the Eastern Shore and Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) voted unanimously to advance the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project.
The plan, which has been under negotiation since December 2021, was officially placed in the two regional transportation policy-making entities’ respective Transportation Improvement Plans (TIPs).
After local leadership agreed to a framework last year, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) formulated an official plan. Wednesday’s approval of the plan paves the way for the utilization of $125 million in federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant funds.
Jack Burrell, Eastern Shore MPO chairman and Fairhope City Councilman, asserted that the agreed-upon plan would enable the region to undertake infrastructure enhancement to support the area’s recent economic growth.
“Today’s vote was a landmark moment for Baldwin County,” said Burrell in a release. “The Eastern Shore has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decades, and our infrastructure has not kept pace. Today’s vote paves the way for providing the traffic relief we need in a way that makes sense for Baldwin County drivers. As we move forward, the Eastern Shore MPO will continue our oversight of the project and our advocacy for the federal dollars this project deserves.”
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who serves as chairman of the city’s MPO, lauded the local entities’ collaboration on the plan.
“This is a key project that both brings our region closer together and brings us closer to opportunities around the world,” said Stimpson. “I’m proud of the constructive, cooperative way that the Mobile and Eastern Shore MPOs are working toward this shared vision. Putting the project on the two MPO TIPs makes it available for additional federal funding and puts our $125 million INFRA grant to use. Today’s vote keeps this project moving forward in that same spirit of cooperation, and ensures this critical project is back on track.”
The following are the plan’s details as provided by ALDOT:
- A comprehensive plan with a new Mobile River Bridge and a new Bayway that meets capacity and safety needs and can be built in five years
- Free, no-toll routes on the Causeway, Wallace Tunnel, Bankhead Tunnel and Africatown Bridge
- Toll options of $2.50 for passenger vehicles and $18.00 for trucks
- An unlimited use option for $40 per month, which is under $1 per trip for daily commuters between Mobile and Baldwin Counties
- Toll revenue to be used only to pay down project debt, with tolling to end once the debt is paid off
- All infrastructure to be owned and operated by the State of Alabama, with no private concessionaire
- A contribution of at least $250 million in state funding, in addition to $125 million in federal funding through an INFRA Grant
ALDOT advised that the MPOs would continue to oversee the project as pre-construction and construction moves forward. The plan is subject to an environmental impact study, according to the department.
State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Daphne), who formerly served as chairman of the Eastern Shore MPO, praised local leadership’s commitment to seeing that a plan was brought to fruition.
“The revised I-10 plan approved by both MPO’s today is a step in the right direction and much improved from the previous plan proposed by ALDOT,” asserted Elliott in a statement to Yellowhammer News. “I applaud the work of our local leaders in standing firm and finding a solution in concert with state transportation officials that is workable for Mobile and Baldwin County commuters.
“There are, however, still huge assumptions within the proposed capital stack that will need to nailed down before construction can begin,” added the senator. “If Alabamians are asked to invest more in this project, that investment should be recognized and any toll paid by an Alabamian should be reimbursed by the state.”
Pending the finalization of funding, construction of the new Mobile River Bridge and Bayway would begin in late 2023 and be completed by 2028.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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