All nine members of Alabama's congressional delegation signed a Thursday, June 6, letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Bettigieg in support of the Alabama Department of Transportation's (ALDOT) application to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to receive a mega grant through the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program.

This letter, which state lawmakers used to emphasize the national importance of the Mobile River Bridge and Bay project, comes (among other pending grant applications) in conjunction with the TIFIA loan process ALDOT recently announced it's initiating with USDOT. The $3.5 billion project would build a new six-lane bridge that connects an expanded Bayway to U.S. 98, with interchange improvements also included. The delegation was sure to point out the Wallace and Bankhead tunnels, as well as the Bayway, being severely outdated and well over designated capacity.

"While the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project does not extend across every congressional district in the state, we stand united in emphasizing how critical this transportation infrastructure is to the entire state, region, and nation," the Alabama congressional delegation stated. "Spanning eight states, I-10 connects many of the country’s major cities and seaports, serves as a primary transportation artery for both travel and commerce throughout the United States, and is a major evacuation route given the Gulf Coast’s propensity for being in the path of major storms such as hurricanes.

"Currently, to traverse the Mobile River and Mobile Bay on I-10, the majority of traffic must first utilize the Wallace and Bankhead tunnels in Mobile, each built more than 50 years ago and currently three times over the originally constructed capacity. Traffic must then cross a roughly 7.5-mile bridge across Mobile Bay, also constructed over 50 years ago. Like the tunnels, this bridge is over capacity and not built to meet current safety and environmental standards."

Signed by Sen. Katie Boyd Britt, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Rep. Jerry Carl, Rep. Barry Moore, Rep. Mike Rogers, Rep. Robert Aderholt, Rep. Dale Strong, Rep. Gary Palmer and Rep. Terri Sewell, this letter went on to argue that the Mobile River and Bayway project will add capacity for all travelers and divert the majority of traffic onto the new infrastructure, making a safe and efficient route for everyone. As Gulf Coast Media has previously reported, despite costs being projected at double ALDOT’s annual budget, statewide officials have maintained their commitment to seeing the project move forward.

“This project is essentially shovel-ready except for an inflation-driven gap in funding,” ALDOT stated via a Monday, June 10, joint press release with chairmen of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization. “At the end of the day, we need the federal government to continue working with us in recognizing the national importance of this project and join us in making it a reality. Based on our progress - with all right of way acquired, necessary federal approvals secured, and federal loan processes initiated – we believe that the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project is the most advanced of any similar project in the country. ALDOT and the MPOs remain committed to this project, and we will continue to seek the additional federal funding we need to begin construction.”