State transportation crews are set to begin pile driving work this week on the north side of the Bayway just east of the Wallace Tunnel entrance, part of ongoing preliminary construction tied to the proposed Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project.
The Alabama Department of Transportation says the work is expected to begin as early as Tuesday and continue through the end of the week, running throughout the day. Officials said the pile driving itself is not expected to disrupt traffic flow on the Bayway, though drivers are being asked to observe posted speed limits and stay alert for crews and equipment working close to the roadway.
The activity is the latest in a series of foundation tests that have been underway since March at three separate sites along the proposed bridge and Bayway corridor. Crews have already driven and constructed varying types and sizes of foundation piling and drilled shafts at the Texas Street Interchange, along the west bank of the Mobile River, and at points along the Bayway itself.
According to ALDOT, the tests are designed to give engineering teams additional preliminary geotechnical data before design work moves forward. Teams competing to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the eventual bridge and Bayway project will use the information to refine their proposals. Knowing more precisely how deep and how large the foundation piling needs to be at each site allows designers to avoid over-building the structure’s foundations, which officials say translates into real cost savings on a project expected to carry a price tag in the billions of dollars.
The current phase of testing is being carried out by Jordan Pile Driving, Inc., a Mobile-based contractor that was awarded a $3.4 million contract for the work. The contract calls for the testing to wrap up by the end of May.
Because the work is taking place along the water, ALDOT says crews will be relying on heavy equipment and barges throughout the process, and both drivers on the Bayway and boaters on the surrounding waterways should expect to see that equipment staged in the area. The agency says it is taking steps to protect water quality and wildlife while the testing is underway, in keeping with environmental safeguards required for work near the Mobile River and Mobile Bay.
The Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project has been discussed for years as a way to relieve chronic congestion at the Wallace and Bankhead tunnels, which routinely back up during peak travel times and after any incident in the tunnels. The preliminary testing now underway does not commit the state to a final design or financing plan, but it is intended to give whichever team is ultimately selected a head start on engineering the bridge’s foundations once a contract is awarded.
Residents who travel the Bayway or use the surrounding waterways this week can expect to see the increased equipment presence, even though officials say the traveling public should not experience delays because of the testing itself.