Alabama's Mobile River Bridge clears final funding hurdle

Overview

Updated Oct 2

Alabama broke ground Friday on the $3.2 billion Mobile River Bridge, the largest infrastructure project in state history. The ceremony came after 36 years of studies, promises, and shelved plans.

The six-lane cable-stayed bridge will replace a 1970s tunnel bottleneck on Interstate 10. It also gives hazardous-material freight a safe river crossing and expands access to the Port of Mobile. Construction is expected to take five years, with the bridge opening in late 2031 and tolls starting then, from $3 to $15.40 per one-way trip.

Why it matters

The bridge unblocks a 1970s tunnel bottleneck on I-10, routes hazardous freight off local streets, and expands access to the Port of Mobile.

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Key Indicators

$3.2B

Phase 1 design-build contract value

Guaranteed maximum price, so cost overruns fall on contractors, not the state.

$2.52B

Federal TIFIA loan

The largest single piece of financing, finalized September 18, 2026.

2.5 miles

Cable-stayed bridge length

Spans the Mobile River navigational channel, bypassing two 1970s tunnels.

5 years

Construction duration

Full construction began October 1, with opening projected for late 2031.

$15.40

Maximum one-way toll

Pay-by-plate rate. ALGOpass users pay $3 per trip; transponder users pay $7.70. Rates rise 5% or inflation annually in the first 10 years.

$4.15B

Total Phase 1 cost

Includes right-of-way, utilities, contingencies, and toll system integration beyond the $3.2B construction contract.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Kay Ivey

Governor of Alabama

Attended October 2 groundbreaking in Mobile

John Cooper

Director, Alabama Department of Transportation

Overseeing delivery of the megaproject

Sean P. Duffy

U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Attended October 2 groundbreaking in Mobile

Katie Britt

U.S. Senator (R-Alabama)

Attended October 2 groundbreaking

Tommy Tuberville

U.S. Senator (R-Alabama)

Attended October 2 groundbreaking

Barry Moore

U.S. Representative (R-Enterprise)

Attended October 2 groundbreaking

Shomari Figures

U.S. Representative (D-Mobile)

Attended October 2 groundbreaking

Organizations Involved

Alabama Department of Transportation

State transportation agency

Owner and overseer of the project

Alabama's state transportation agency, which has stewarded the bridge through three decades of planning.

Kiewit-Massman-Traylor (KMT)

Design-build joint venture

Phase 1 contractor

The design-build team holding the $3.2 billion guaranteed maximum price contract.

Alabama Toll Road, Bridge and Tunnel Authority

State toll authority

Sets toll policy and sold project bonds

The state authority that adopted the toll schedule and closed the bond sale completing Phase 1 financing.

Build America Bureau

Federal agency unit

Lender and grantor

The USDOT unit that administers TIFIA loans and major infrastructure grants.

Timeline

2019 October 2026

10 events Latest: October 2nd, 2026 · 1 week ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Ceremonial groundbreaking held
Latest Milestone

Governor Ivey, USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy, Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, and Congressmen Barry Moore and Shomari Figures broke ground in Mobile, marking the start of the largest infrastructure project in state history.
October 2nd, 2026
Full construction begins
Milestone

ALDOT authorizes the design-build team to proceed with full construction.
October 1st, 2026
September 2026
Governor Ivey authorizes construction
Decision

Governor formally authorizes the start of work, the final procedural step before groundbreaking.
September 29th, 2026
ALDOT issues notice to proceed
Decision

State clears KMT to begin full construction of the bridge and Phase 1 work.
September 25th, 2026
Federal TIFIA loan finalized
Funding

USDOT closes the $2.52 billion TIFIA loan, the final major funding component.
September 18th, 2026
Toll authority adopts escalating rates
Policy

One-way tolls set up to $7.70 with annual 5% or inflation increases for the first decade.
September 8th, 2026
July 2026
Program split into two phases
Decision

After total costs exceeded $5 billion, ALDOT separates the bridge from the Bayway replacement.
July 2026
2023
KMT selected as design-build team
Contract

Kiewit-Massman-Traylor wins the $3.2 billion guaranteed maximum price contract.
2023
January 2021
Project revived at local request
Decision

Mobile and Eastern Shore planning organizations ask ALDOT to restart the bridge program.
January 1st, 2021
2019
ALDOT scraps public-private partnership
Decision

Amid public resistance to tolls, ALDOT drops the P3 plan for the bridge and Bayway.
2019

Scenarios

Mobile River Bridge opens on schedule in late 2031

Likely Resolves by Q1 2032

Discussed by: ALDOT and KMT, who project a five-year construction window

The bridge opens to traffic around late 2031 with tolling starting immediately. KMT holds a guaranteed maximum price contract, placing cost overrun risk on the contractors and removing the usual driver of schedule blowouts. Early geotechnical work and long-lead procurement are already done.

Geotechnical and cost issues push opening past 2032

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2033

Discussed by: Engineering News-Record, which notes geotechnical challenges already drove Bayway costs higher

The program's own history shows how bay geology and rising labor and material costs ballooned earlier estimates, pushing the total past $5 billion. Similar surprises on the cable-stayed span or Bayway restriping could force ALDOT to revise the opening date.

Toll backlash triggers legislative intervention

Possible Resolves by End of 2032

Discussed by: Local Alabama media, including al.com, which reports one-way trips could cost up to $7.70

Public resistance to tolls already killed the original P3 plan in 2019. The new escalating schedule, adopted over the $2.50 flat rate officials endorsed in 2022, could revive that opposition once tolling begins.

Phase 2 Bayway replacement secures funding

Uncertain Resolves by Jan 1, 2036

Discussed by: ALDOT, which targets a 2036 construction start for the Bayway replacement

The second phase, replacing the existing Bayway viaducts across Mobile Bay, remains unfunded. ALDOT says it will seek additional funding with a goal of starting construction in 2036. The timeline depends on future federal grants and state budget decisions.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1991–2007

Boston's Big Dig (1991–2007)

Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel project, begun in 1991, was originally priced near $2.8 billion. It finished in 2007 at roughly $14.8 billion, becoming America's most expensive highway project.

Then

Massive cost overruns, a fatal ceiling collapse in 2006, and years of disruptive construction in downtown Boston.

Now

The project became the standard cautionary tale for every U.S. megaproject since, driving demand for fixed-price and design-build contracts.

Why this matters now

The Mobile Bridge faces similar geotechnical and cost risks along Mobile Bay, which ALDOT says pushed the program beyond $5 billion.

2002–2013

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge Eastern Span (2002–2013)

A seismic replacement of the Bay Bridge's eastern span, launched in 2002, was meant to open by 2007 at about $1.5 billion. Weld failures and design disputes pushed it to over $6 billion and a 2013 opening.

Then

A 10-year delay and a final cost more than four times the original estimate.

Now

Showed how steel fabrication quality and contractor accountability matter on complex marine bridge projects.

Why this matters now

Mobile's cable-stayed span over a navigable river carries the same geotechnical and steel-fabrication risks that delayed the Bay Bridge.

August 2007 – September 2008