Mobile I-10 project gets $550 million in federal funding. When does construction begin?

The Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project in South Alabama is getting a huge infusion of federal money thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure plan passed by Congress in 2021.

A $550 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bridge Investment Program will go directly toward the estimated $3.5 billion project that includes the construction of a new six-lane, 215-foot-tall cable-stay bridge in downtown Mobile and a new elevated six-lane Bayway.

The new Bayway will replace the existing I-10 Bayway – which is set to be demolished. The newly constructed Bayway will connect Mobile to the U.S. 98 exit in Daphne and span approximately 7.4 miles.

“This federal funding will be a game-changer, not just for Mobile and Baldwin counties, but for our entire state and region,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in an announcement from her office about the grant award.

The $550 million grant, according to the governor, is “believed to be one of the largest federal grants ever received for an Alabama project.” It is the second-largest award in the Bridge Investment Program’s history, behind only a $1.4 billion award announced in January for a bridge project over the Ohio River.

Ed Austin, chief engineer with the Alabama Department of Transportation, said the $550 million will allow the project to be “in a position to break ground” as soon as next year.

“To say we’re grateful that our federal partners are recognizing the project’s national important is an understatement,” Austin said. “This decision is a testament to the persistent efforts and dedication of our state, local and congressional leaders who have had numerous meetings and extensive discussions with U.S. DOT, tirelessly advocating for this project.”

Additional funding, Reactions

The $550 million is the second major infusion of federal grant money for the I-10 project. In 2019, a $125 million federal grant was secured through former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby’s office.

The state is dedicating $250 million directly toward the project as well.

The balance of the project will be through federal loans, primarily via the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA). An ALDOT official said last month that U.S. DOT officials will grant the state to finance 49% of the entire project through the low-interest TIFIA loans. At $3.5 billion, that would amount to around $1.75 billion.

The grant infusion was celebrated by local officials who have, for years, negotiated and battled over the project that is viewed as the most expensive road construction project in Alabama state history.

The biggest blow up occurred in 2019, when Ivey declared the project “dead” after officials in Baldwin County voted to remove the entire I-10 project from their short-term plans out of concerns over a public-private partnership arrangement to build it, as well as a controversial toll plan.

Those issues seem to be in the distant past, even though ALDOT plans to assess a toll to utilize the new infrastructure – the Wallace and Bankhead tunnels will remain free for motorists.

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

Stimpson, chair of the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization, credited Ivey and ALDOT Director John Cooper for keeping the project “alive over the last few years” while it faced obstacles.

“The benefits of today’s announcement will be felt along the entire I-10 corridor from Florida to California,” Stimpson said.

Fairhope City Councilman Jack Burrell, chair of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization, said the grant announcement represents the “most significant day in the project’s history.”

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

Federal support

The grant money comes from a discretionary program that focuses on existing bridges to reduce the overall number of bridges considered in poor condition, or in fair condition and at-risk of falling into poor condition.

The I-10 Bayway, over a gradual period of time, has become a bottleneck along a key east-west corridor stretching from Jacksonville to Los Angeles.

During heavy travel seasons that bring tourists to Alabama and Florida, the interstate will average more than 78,000 vehicles per day west of the Wallace Tunnel. Worries exist that more than 95,000 vehicles will be traveling routinely along the Bayway in less than 20 years, further increasing the bottlenecks.

The Bridge Investment Program was created through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – long called the “bipartisan infrastructure law” that has become a signature policy achievement of President Joe Biden’s administration.

The last major grant announcement under the program occurred in January, with the highlight being a $1.4 billion allocation toward a complete rebuild of the Brent Spence Bridge between Kentucky and Ohio over the Ohio River.

The state has applications out for other grant programs under the $1.2 trillion IIJA. The most notable is a request for money under the U.S. DOT’s Mega grant program. In prior years, ALDOT has requested $500 million through that discretionary grant program.

The state also has an application out for an Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant. That was the same grant that was awarded toward the project in 2019 and secured by Shelby’s office.

The U.S. DOT has categorized the I-10 project as one of 13 projects eligible for “project-specific targeted technical assistance” through the agency’s Build America Bureau.

Tony Harris, a spokesperson with ALDOT, said the project “is the most advanced” of its type in the country because the state has secured the rights-of-way to build it, and has secured all environmental clearances.

“In our efforts to advocate for additional federal funding, we have worked hard to emphasize that the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway is the most advanced project of its kind nationwide competing for federal discretionary funding,” he said. “Our focus now is to finalize our TIFIA loan application and finish the design process, which will help us narrow in on a start date for construction.”

Harris said the state, following the design process, will be able to better release a date for groundbreaking. He said that could roughly be another six to nine months.

Congressional efforts

Alabama’s congressional delegation sent a letter in June to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg requesting federal support for the bridge project, emphasizing that the tunnels and Bayway are more than 50 years old, and that hazardous cargo is forced to divert from the tunnels and into the “historic and disadvantaged community of Africatown.”

The letter was signed by all eight of Alabama’s GOP congressional representatives, none of whom voted in support of the IIJA in 2021. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, the lone Democratic member of Congress from Alabama, also signed onto the letter. Only 13 Republicans in Congress voted in support of the IIJA.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, in a statement praised “Team Alabama’s efforts” in securing the grant money.

“I remain committed to fighting for every additional federal dollar for this bridge, and I will be working with Senator (Katie) Britt and Senator (Tommy) Tuberville, as well as Governor Ivey and local officials, to continue pushing this project across the finish line,” Carl said.

Britt, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the investment is a “huge win for Alabamians and any American who drives along I-10.”

“I was proud to help lead Alabama’s entire congressional delegation in support of this well-deserved grant award, and I appreciate Governor Ivey’s continued partnership and the leadership of the MPOs and local officials who have spearheaded this community-driven, crucial project,” Britt said. “Returning Alabamians’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars back to our great state is a top priority of mine in the Senate, and I’ll continue fighting to do just that.”