I-10 Bridge, Bayway Plans Change

The I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project is now a $3.2-billion effort that includes constructing a new bridge and re-striping the existing 7.5-mile Bayway to three lanes in each direction, AL.com reports. The project will also require motorists to pay slightly higher tolls than those approved by local officials five years ago. Under the latest plan, frequent users traveling between Mobile and Daphne will pay $3 for a one‑way trip with an ALGO Pass, up from $2.50. A monthly unlimited‑use rate for the Bayway will be $60, up from $40. For those without an ALGO Pass or a regional or national pass, the toll will be $7.70, up from $5.50. The newest version of the project, now split into two phases, comes after rising construction costs over the past five years slowed progress and raised concerns among local officials about when groundbreaking would occur. Phase one involves a five‑year construction schedule focused heavily on a 215‑ft‑tall cable‑stayed bridge over the Mobile River that is scheduled to begin this year. The new bridge will offer an alternative to the congested Wallace Tunnel, which will remain free to use, as will other existing routes, for motorists who choose not to pay a toll. Phase two does not yet have a cost estimate but would involve demolishing the existing Bayway and replacing it with a new interstate structure. The total cost of both phases combined remains unclear, though phase one alone is nearly as expensive as the $3.5-billion estimate placed on the full project several years ago.