Supporters of a new Interstate 10 bridge over the Mobile River are pressing state and federal officials to speed up the planning process as the roughly $850 million project moves toward its design phase.
Representatives from the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Build the Bridge” Coalition and the Coastal Alabama Partnership say they are looking for ways around bureaucratic delays that could stretch out a project they consider a top regional priority. “We don’t have another 13 years to waste and we’ll be in a big bind here if we’re talking about it in 13 years,” said Wiley Blankenship, president and CEO of the Coastal Alabama Partnership. Mike Lee, the coalition’s chairman, echoed that urgency, saying the group’s focus is on “keeping the process moving.”
Their comments followed an analysis released by the Alabama Department of Transportation reviewing public comments on the preliminary environmental impact statement completed last summer by the Federal Highway Administration. That analysis estimated it could take one to two years to complete a final environmental impact statement, after which the FHWA would have 90 days to issue a formal Record of Decision affirming federal support for the project and its route.
Bridge backers say the open-ended timeline is troubling, even as they acknowledge the process involves numerous regulatory steps. “To be given ranges like that is a little disconcerting,” Blankenship said, adding that he was not criticizing ALDOT but noting construction projects routinely take longer than hoped. Lee and Blankenship said federal highway officials indicated during a September trip to Washington that the final environmental review and the Record of Decision could potentially be issued together, shaving time off the process.
Vince Calametti, chief engineer for ALDOT’s Southwest Region, said the estimated timeline is reasonable given the scope of remaining work, which includes analysis of historical properties, a secondary archaeological investigation and a hazardous materials review. He pointed to a University of South Alabama study on vibration impacts to historic structures near the project corridor, which will help ALDOT set construction limits once the design phase begins.
Calametti also said the state is discussing how to fund preliminary design work, which could cost between 10 and 20 percent of the project’s overall price tag — potentially $85 million to $170 million based on current estimates. He said some design funding decisions could come as early as this spring, though full construction plans remain further off. Overall, officials estimate the I-10 Bridge project could take six years or longer to complete. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, has pushed for a faster timeline, saying in a statement that “the need for the bridge gets more critical every day.” Bridge supporters, including local government leaders from Mobile and Baldwin counties, plan to meet again in March to discuss the project’s progress.