The US Department of Transportation has approved a $2.52bn federal loan for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project in Alabama, advancing financing for a major road scheme serving the Port of Mobile.
The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) financing has been approved for the Alabama Toll Road, Bridge and Tunnel Authority. The project will be delivered by the Alabama Department of Transportation.
The scheme is designed to address a longstanding congestion point on the principal interstate route providing access to the Port of Mobile. It includes construction of a new six-lane cable-stayed bridge across the Mobile River.
It will also increase capacity on the 7.5-mile Bayway, where the existing road is to be restriped from two to three lanes in each direction. Approximately one mile of the current Bayway will be reconstructed as part of the project.
Improving freight connectivity is a central objective of the investment. The project is intended to provide additional capacity for traffic moving to and from the port while easing congestion in the area around the George Wallace Tunnel.
Hazardous-materials vehicles are currently prohibited from using the tunnel. As a result, hundreds of trucks daily must take alternative routes through downtown Mobile and nearby roads. The new crossing is expected to give those vehicles a direct interstate connection, reducing the need for such diversions.
The financing approval removes a significant hurdle for the road project, which combines a new river crossing with upgrades to the Bayway corridor. For port-related traffic, the scheme is aimed at improving reliability on a key freight route and creating a dedicated interstate option for hazardous-materials shipments that cannot pass through the existing tunnel.