Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis celebrated the announcement that the Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project would begin by the end of the year.
"Mobile, you've waited long enough," Cheriogotis said. "We're building this bridge."
Federal, state and local partners have reached an agreement on how to move forward with the project. A new toll bridge will be built across the Mobile River, and enhancements will be made to widen the existing Bayway to six lanes.
"For many years, the people of Mobile have been promised a new I-10 river bridge," said Cheriogotis. "Today, I'm proud to say that promise is finally becoming a reality. This is the most significant infrastructure project in the history of our region, and it has been decades in the making. A milestone like this does not happen overnight."
The $7.70 toll is intended to encourage use of the ALGO Pass. With the pass, drivers will get a discounted rate of $3 per trip. Anyone who receives a $7.70 bill can sign up for an ALGO Pass to get the lower rate.
"I-10 through Mobile is the primary chokepoint for traffic between Houston and Jacksonville," Cheriogotis added. "It is a critical military corridor and a linchpin of our national supply chain. What we build here doesn't just move Mobile forward– it strengthens the entire nation. This bridge is not just a Mobile priority; it is an American priority."
The Mobile Chamber also applauded the announcement.
"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."
After nearly 30 years of discussion, the cost of the project has increased, but Byrne said Alabama's delegation has worked with President Donald Trump to make it a reality.
"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, 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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