The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is parting ways with the design and construction team working on the Bayway portion of the Mobile River Bridge project.

While ALDOT said in a statement the end of negotiations with the Mobile Bay Constructors team was "jointly agreed," the project is still moving forward and "has not changed in its overall scope."

The twin projects aim to increase the capacity of Interstate 10 to meet existing and future traffic volumes; provide a direct route for vehicles transporting hazardous materials and minimize impacts to Mobile's maritime industry; and enhance access to major industrial and freight destinations in the Mobile area and facilitate economic growth. Spanning both Mobile and Baldwin counties, the result will be a new 2.5-mile-long, six-lane cable-stayed bridge across the Mobile River that will be connected to new six-lane bridges across Mobile Bay that will be constructed above the 100-year storm surge level.

"ALDOT is building the Mobile River Bridge through a design-build process," ALDOT chief engineer Ed Austin said. "This process has served us well and allows us the flexibility needed to make key decisions related to project development. This is another step in our effort to ensure the project can be completed in a timely, safe and cost-effective manner."

The procedure established by the RFQ/RFP process and the Alabama Toll Road, Bridge and Tunnel Authority deems the next best qualified proposer be considered to replace the now-departed construction team. ALDOT said it expects to release additional information on this process and next steps in the coming weeks.

The engineering and design work completed by the previous team will transfer to ALDOT to be used moving forward.

Costs have been estimated between $3 to $3.5 billion (almost double ALDOT's annual budget). A $550 million federal grant announced last year for the project is believed to be one of the largest federal grants ever received for an Alabama project, according to the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance.

The exact cost remains unknown until ALDOT can agree with contractors on a "guaranteed maximum price" and until officials can finalize their application for low-interest federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans, something that must be done before ground is broken, though ALDOT officials are confident this timeline is still on track for 2025.