MOBILE RIVER BRIDGE AND BAYWAY PROJECT MOVING FORWARD WITH STRONG FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL SUPPORT
Project Positioned for Groundbreaking Before End of 2026
MOBILE – The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project is moving forward with strong support from the Trump Administration, Governor Kay Ivey, Alabama’s congressional delegation and local leaders, officials announced today.
Video Credit: Alabama Department of Transportation
The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization today announced an approach that preserves the core goal of increasing Interstate 10 capacity across Mobile Bay. Pending anticipated approval of a Federal TIFIA loan, the project is positioned for construction to begin before the end of 2026.
The project includes construction of a new cable-stayed Mobile River Bridge, improvements to key interchanges and traffic flow throughout the corridor, and enhancements to the existing Bayway to provide six lanes of capacity across Mobile Bay. Plans include construction of a new Bayway at a later date as additional funding becomes available.
“This project is essential to Alabama’s future and represents one of the most important infrastructure investments in our state’s history,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “This transformative project will strengthen our economy, improve safety and ensure we are better prepared in times of emergency. I appreciate President Trump, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Alabama’s congressional delegation and our local partners for helping us reach this milestone.”
Federal Assistance Keeps Project Moving Forward
The announcement follows months of high-level discussions between ALDOT, the White House, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, Gov. Ivey, Alabama’s congressional delegation and local MPO members.
Recent actions by the Trump Administration helped establish a viable path forward for the project by increasing flexibility in the use of federal funding, addressing costly federal requirements that are not essential to the project and approving financing mechanisms needed to advance construction.
“Thanks to President Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for listening to Alabama, cutting through the red tape and helping get the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project moving forward,” said U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville. “This project is critical not only for Alabama, but for the entire Gulf Coast and every community that depends on Interstate 10 for commerce, travel, hurricane evacuations and national security. I have been fighting for this ever since I came to the Senate, and I am glad we are finally ready to get shovels in the ground.”
“After more than 30 years, the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway is finally becoming a reality,” said U.S. Sen. Katie Britt. “This is exactly the kind of strategic infrastructure investment that strengthens our economy, supports our port, improves safety, and benefits every American who travels the I-10 corridor. It’s why I was proud to help carry this over the finish line by leading my colleagues in bicameral letters advocating for a $550 million federal investment, which we ultimately secured. I couldn’t be more grateful to President Trump, Secretary Duffy, and Susie Wiles for recognizing the national importance of this project and for their support, along with Governor Ivey’s continued partnership and the leadership of the MPOs and local officials who have driven this community-driven, crucial project forward.”
“The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project is a generational investment in South Alabama. It will improve safety, strengthen our economy, support the Port of Mobile, and provide the infrastructure our communities need to grow,” said U.S. Rep. Barry Moore. “I’m grateful to President Trump, Governor Ivey, Senator Tuberville, Senator Britt, members of the Alabama delegation, and our local partners for helping move this project forward. I will continue fighting to deliver the infrastructure Alabama deserves.”
“I am glad the Trump Administration helped clear some red tape that now allows the State to get the loan to build the bridge, but they can and should provide actual funds like the $550M the Biden Administration gave to us,” said Rep. Shomari Figures. “This is a big step for this project, but if the Trump Administration would make the same type of commitment like the Biden Administration, this bridge would be completed quicker and cheaper. I look forward to continuing to work to make that happen.”
Eastern Shore MPO Chairman Jack Burrell said the project reflects years of work by local leaders determined to find a realistic path forward.
“While this project has evolved over time, its importance has never changed,” Burrell said. “This revised approach provides meaningful congestion relief, improves regional mobility and creates a path toward delivering a project that many people have waited decades to see.”
Mobile MPO Chair Merceria Ludgood said the project will benefit residents, businesses and visitors throughout the region.
“The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project is about improving connectivity, supporting economic opportunity and ensuring our transportation infrastructure can meet future demands,” Ludgood said. “We appreciate the collaboration among federal, state and local partners that has made this announcement possible.”
Updated Rendering
Video Credit: Alabama Department of Transportation
Free Routes and Tolling
Under the toll structure, no tolls would be collected until the new bridge opens, currently projected around 2031. Existing free routes, including the Wallace Tunnel, Bankhead Tunnel, the Causeway and Africatown Bridge, will remain open and will not be tolled.
Toll rates have been designed to ensure reasonable costs for frequent users who choose to utilize the route. The proposal includes several tolling options for standard vehicles, listed below. Toll rates are well below current and anticipated inflation rates since the new toll structure was first announced in 2021.
- $60 unlimited monthly commuter pass, which is roughly $1.36 per trip for daily users.
- $3 per-trip ALGO Pass rate.
- $7.70 for users with interoperable transponders.
- Drivers without a transponder will be billed through a pay-by-plate process. Those customers, largely expected to be out-of-state drivers, will then have the option to establish an ALGO pass account and pay the lower ALGO Pass rates.
- ALDOT anticipates that the overwhelming majority of local users will choose an ALGO Pass, another compatible transponder, or one of the available toll-free routes.
ALGO transponders will be widely available and free of charge initially.
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project will be the largest transportation project in Alabama history and will improve traffic flow, freight mobility, regional connectivity and emergency evacuations along one of the nation’s most important interstate corridors.
Mobile Chamber Statement on ALDOT’s I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project Announcement
The Mobile Chamber today applauds the announcement that the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project is moving forward with strong support from the Trump Administration, Governor Kay Ivey, Alabama’s congressional delegation and local leaders, positioning the project for a groundbreaking before the end of 2026.
“This is a moment nearly 30 years in the making,” said Bradley Byrne, president and CEO of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. “Almost three decades ago, Mobile business leaders looked at the daily bottleneck at the Wallace Tunnel and the Bayway and knew our region could not grow around it forever. That conversation is where the Build the Bridge coalition began, and the Mobile Chamber has carried that mission forward ever since, through changing plans, shifting funding landscapes and no shortage of setbacks. Our members never stopped believing this bridge would get built, and today that persistence is paying off.”
The Mobile Chamber has remained a consistent voice for the project across nearly 30 years of advocacy, convening business leaders, engaging with state and federal officials, and keeping the project’s economic importance in front of decision makers in Montgomery and Washington regardless of which administration or Congress was in office.
“This bridge has never been a partisan issue. It is an economic necessity,” Byrne said. “It touches our port, our airport, our shipbuilding industry and every business on both sides of Mobile Bay. We are grateful to President Donald Trump, Governor Kay Ivey, Senator Katie Britt, Senator Tommy Tuberville, Rep. Shomari Figures, Rep. Barry Moore, Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis and every local, state and federal leader who helped carry this project across the finish line. I also want to recognize former Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, whose tireless personal commitment to this project throughout his time in office helped keep it alive during some of its most difficult years.”
Byrne said the Mobile Chamber looks forward to continuing to support the project through construction and toward a groundbreaking later this year.
“Nearly 30 years ago, our business community said this bridge had to be built,” Byrne said. “The Mobile Chamber will keep doing what it has always done on this project: standing with our community and our elected leaders until the job is done.”
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