Mobile city leaders are expected to take a major step forward on the city’s downtown airport project, with the City Council poised to vote on sending $30 million to the Mobile Airport Authority to help build a new commercial passenger terminal at Brookley Aeroplex.
If approved, the money would be paid out in four installments rather than as a single lump sum. The first payment of $15 million would go out within a month of the council’s vote, according to Mobile Airport Authority President Chris Curry, who said the funding is intended to keep the long-planned terminal project moving without interruption as it transitions from design work into full-scale construction.
“The project started much earlier this year and the funds are going to support the terminal project,” Curry said. “It’s good to have local monies to support the project because it really prevents any delays. The money will help keep the project going.”
The remaining three payments, each for $5 million, would be tied to specific construction milestones rather than a fixed calendar. Curry said those payments would likely begin once the project reaches roughly the halfway point of construction, though he noted the exact benchmarks had not yet been finalized.
“The three $5 million payments are based on certain milestones in construction,” Curry said. “They’ll kick in once we get to about 50 percent or so. I don’t have the milestones in front of me.”
While the bulk of the money is earmarked for the terminal building itself, Curry said the funding is flexible enough to cover related needs, including construction of a parking garage and other infrastructure surrounding the site. Airport officials are hoping to break ground early next year, with vertical construction expected to take roughly a year and a half once it begins.
The Mobile Airport Authority has set a target of having the new terminal completed and open for commercial flights by the end of 2024, a timeline that would mark the culmination of years of planning to relocate passenger service from Bates Field in west Mobile to a redeveloped Brookley site closer to downtown.
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who has long championed the move to Brookley, praised the progress in a statement ahead of the council’s vote.
“This project has been a long time in the making and will be one of the most transformative projects related to the city of Mobile’s future,” Stimpson said. “I think I speak for many Mobilians when I say the prospect of a downtown passenger terminal is very exciting. In addition to the increased passenger flight options and lower airfares, this move will help continue to capitalize on the synergy between the Port of Mobile, the downtown airport and our interstate and rail systems.”
Stimpson said he expects the council to formally approve the funding at its upcoming meeting.
“I look forward to next week, when I am confident the City Council will vote to take this next step in ensuring the city of Mobile’s support toward a fully operational Mobile International Airport downtown by the end of 2024,” Stimpson said.
Curry said the consistent backing from both the mayor’s office and the council has been critical to the project’s momentum.
“The mayor and council have been committed from Day 1,” Curry said. “When they led the way in support, there was no doubt in my mind everything would come together.”
Supporters of the Brookley relocation have long argued that a downtown terminal would better position Mobile to attract additional carriers and routes, while strengthening connections between the airport, the Port of Mobile and the region’s highway and rail networks. City and airport officials have framed the project as one of the more significant infrastructure investments in Mobile in recent years.
The council’s agenda for the same meeting includes other notable items. Members are set to consider a resolution to send bomb technicians and specialized equipment to Birmingham to assist with security for the upcoming World Games, a multi-sport international competition that draws thousands of athletes and visitors. The council is also expected to take up a $449,671 contract with the Water Institute of the Gulf to conduct a citywide resilience assessment.
That assessment is intended to help city officials, local businesses and other stakeholders better understand how to prepare for stresses on the local water supply, including natural disasters and other disruptions. As part of the contract, the Water Institute of the Gulf would also help develop a long-term plan for building resiliency into the city’s water infrastructure.