The Alabama Department of Transportation says it is sorting through more than 700 public comments submitted on the proposed Mobile River Bridge project, after a public comment period tied to the plan closed this week.
The comments came in ahead of the release of a supplemental draft environmental impact statement for the long-discussed project, which would add a new bridge across the Mobile River and additional lanes along the Bayway to relieve chronic congestion on Interstate 10 between Mobile and Baldwin counties. ALDOT opened the comment window to give residents, business owners and commuters a chance to weigh in on the latest version of the plan, including its tolling structure, before the agency moves toward a final environmental review.
In a statement released May 24, ALDOT Project Director Edwin Perry said the response confirmed broad support for expanding capacity on the corridor, even as commenters pushed back on how the project would be financed.
“The overwhelming majority of respondents agree that there is a need for additional capacity on I-10 between Mobile and Baldwin counties,” Perry said. “Locals want a higher frequent user discount and for ALDOT to continue to pursue additional funding to offset the toll.”
Tolling has been the most contentious piece of the project since planners first floated charging drivers to cross the new bridge and use improved sections of the Bayway. Many commenters used the public input period to press ALDOT for a more generous discount program for daily commuters who cross the bay regularly for work, arguing that a flat toll would fall hardest on residents who have no practical alternative route.
ALDOT says it is now reviewing every comment submitted during the period and will use that input to help shape the next phase of project development. The agency said it is simultaneously working with elected officials in both counties to identify additional funding sources that could help offset the cost of the toll for local drivers, a step officials have described as central to winning public buy-in for the project.
The agency said it will keep refining the toll plan and will release further details before issuing the Final Environmental Impact Statement, the document that will formally respond to the public comments and set the direction for the project moving forward. All comments gathered during the recently closed period will be included in that final statement when it is published.
Beyond finalizing the environmental statement, ALDOT laid out a lengthy list of remaining steps before construction can begin. Those include securing sign-off on the environmental statement from the Federal Highway Administration, receiving a formal Record of Decision, and issuing a final Request for Proposals to the three teams that have already been shortlisted to design, build and finance the project. From there, ALDOT would select a winning proposal, reach financial and commercial close on the deal, and move into construction.
Once those milestones are cleared, ALDOT has said it expects construction on the bridge and Bayway improvements to take roughly five years to complete. The project has been discussed for years as a way to ease some of the worst bottleneck traffic in south Alabama, particularly during peak commuting hours and summer weekends when beach traffic backs up for miles along the current span.
ALDOT has not announced a timeline for when the Final Environmental Impact Statement will be released, but officials indicated the agency intends to keep the public informed as the toll structure and funding picture become clearer in the months ahead.