ALDOT names former Mobile TV reporter spokesperson for Mobile River Bridge project
ALDOT has hired former local TV reporter Claudia Nichols as a Mobile-based public information officer for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project as it moves into full construction.
MOBILE, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Transportation has added a Mobile-based spokesperson to the team handling public communications for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project, bringing on a former local television reporter as the long-awaited Interstate 10 project moves into full construction.
Claudia Nichols has been hired as a public information officer for the project, according to ALDOT. She will serve as a front-line media contact and the local point of contact for the public as construction ramps up on the multibillion-dollar infrastructure project.
What the new role involves
Working from Mobile, Nichols will handle media relations, public information, stakeholder outreach, community outreach and the day-to-day communications that come with a construction project of this size, the department said.
She joins ALDOT’s Communications Bureau and will be part of the team led by Tony Harris, the department’s chief of communications and government relations. According to ALDOT, she will also work closely with the department’s Southwest Region and with the Mobile River Bridge project team.
Harris said the shift into full construction is what drove the need for a dedicated communicator based in the Port City.
“Moving into full construction creates a much greater need for timely, accessible information in Mobile,” Harris said. “Claudia gives us a dedicated communications presence on the ground and an experienced local presence who can work directly with the news media, stakeholders and community. We’re very pleased to have her on our team.”
From the newsroom to the project team
Nichols comes to ALDOT from television news. According to the department, she spent much of her early career as a local TV reporter covering Mobile and Baldwin counties, a beat she began in 2024. ALDOT said that work has given her a strong familiarity with the region, its communities and the local news outlets she will now be working with from the other side of the camera.
A native of Hannibal, Missouri, Nichols holds a political science degree from Southwest Baptist University. She previously interned for U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican who represents a Missouri congressional district.
Why a local spokesperson matters
Public information officers serve as the link between a government agency and the public. On a major highway project, that typically means answering reporters’ questions, issuing notices about lane closures and detours, explaining construction milestones and fielding concerns from residents, businesses and other stakeholders affected by the work.
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project is one of the most closely watched infrastructure efforts on the Gulf Coast. Interstate 10 is the main east-west route through Mobile and across Mobile Bay, connecting Mobile County and Baldwin County, and the corridor carries both daily commuters and long-distance travelers and freight. Because so many people depend on that route, construction-related changes can affect traffic across the region.
By placing a communications staffer in Mobile, ALDOT said, it aims to provide information that is timely and accessible to the people most affected. Having a contact on the ground who already knows local reporters and communities is intended to make it easier for residents and news outlets to get answers as the work progresses.
How Nichols fits into ALDOT’s structure
ALDOT is organized into regions that oversee road and bridge work in different parts of the state. The Southwest Region covers Mobile, Baldwin and surrounding counties and handles day-to-day oversight of transportation projects in the area. The department’s Communications Bureau, based in Montgomery, manages statewide public information and media relations.
In her new role, Nichols will bridge those groups, working alongside the statewide communications staff led by Harris, the regional office in southwest Alabama and the dedicated project team building the new crossing.
What residents can expect
With full construction underway, drivers in Mobile and Baldwin counties can expect regular updates about the project’s progress and any impacts to travel. ALDOT has said that keeping the public informed is a key reason for expanding its communications team at this stage.
Residents, businesses and community groups with questions about the project will now have a Mobile-based ALDOT contact who is dedicated to the bridge and Bayway work, according to the department.
