During their meeting in Daphne last Wednesday, the Daphne City Counsel provided an update on the status of the Mobile Bay Bridge and Bayway project, with progress being made since the project was delayed back in April.

Financially, the city is working on their specific credit rating for the project, which should come within the next couple of months. Once that comes in, they hope to meet the investment grade status so they can move towards obtaining a TIFIA loan. They are also working with the Federal Highway Administration on a grant agreement, which the council said is progressing nicely.

There is also work being done at the project office regarding the designs and the price of the bridge, with the council saying they anticipate a guaranteed maximum price of the costs of the project by summer of next year.

The project was previously delayed to review the costs, as state and local officials hoped to see if they could reduce the price of what would likely be a multibillion-dollar project, but the counsel said that progress was being made and more updates will be provided in the future.

The project has heavily relied on financing, with the U.S. Department of Transportation approving a $550 million discretionary grant from the Bridge Investment Program towards the Mobile Bay Bridge and Bayway project back in July.

The project will build a new cable bridge over the river while also making improvements to Broad and Virginia streets and the West Tunnel in Mobile, but in Baldwin County, the project will replace a 50-year-old Bayway with a new one that will bring it up to today’s standards.

There is still lots of work to be done as the responsible parties and officials meet for pivotal discussions, but residents of Baldwin County can rest assured that progress is being made on the project, with more news to come in the near future.