MOBILE – A “Who’s Who” of federal, state and local officials gathered at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico to celebrate the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $550 million grant for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project.

The grant, which was funded through the Bridge Investment Program that was created under the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is one of the largest federal grants ever awarded to a project in Alabama.

Roughly 150 people attended, including numerous state legislators, local elected officials and Chamber of Commerce representatives. Speakers at the Monday event included U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, Gov. Kay Ivey, Mobile Mayor and Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization Chairman Sandy Stimpson, Fairhope City Councilman and Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization Chair Jack Burrell and U.S. Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen Bhatt.

“This grant will help Alabama advance a critical bridge project that will improve safety and reliability for everyone traveling through Mobile, Alabama and along Interstate 10, which is an important corridor for moving people and goods that contribute to our national economy,” Bhatt said.

Due to overwhelming congestion where I-10 connects Mobile and Baldwin counties, ALDOT created a plan that will provide two projects, a new 2.5-mile, six-lane cable stay bridge over Mobile River standing 215 feet tall, as well as 7.5 miles of new bridges with eight lanes running across Mobile Bay above the 100-year storm surge level.

As Gulf Coast Media has previously reported, despite costs being projected in the range of $3 to $3.5 billion (almost double ALDOT's annual budget), officials have maintained their commitment to seeing this project move forward.

"This project is essentially shovel-ready except for an inflation-driven gap in funding," ALDOT wrote previously in a news release. "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."