Price of planned Mobile River bridge swells to $2.7B
The latest plan for a new bridge and revamped Interstate 10 to ease traffic congestion on the Gulf Coast at Mobile shows the cost has swelled to $2.7 billion after years of disputes and delays, an increase of more than 25%. The project, which includes a tall bridge over the Mobile River and a replacement of I-10 over Mobile Bay just east of downtown, could be complete by late 2028 if work begins next year, according to a report released Friday by the Alabama Department of Transportation. Passenger vehicles would pay a maximum toll of $2.50, and trucks would pay as much as $18, the report said, but free routes would still be available. The project was projected to cost $2.1 billion in 2019, but opposition over plans to charge cars one-way tolls of as much as $6 led to delays. The state’s new report on the on-again, off-again project blamed inflation for the price hike. The project would be funded with $250 million from the state, $625 million in federal grants, $1.2 billion in bond financing, and $1.1 in federal loans, the report said. Revenue from tolls would be used to pay the debt. Almost 100,000 cars and trucks use the current system of tunnels and bridges that cross Mobile Bay and the Mobile River, leading to congestion on roads that were designed for only 35,000 vehicles daily, the report said. The improvement is needed to allow for growth, improve safety and hasten evacuation during hurricanes, the report said. After looking dead, the project was resurrected in December after officials in Mobile and Baldwin County approved a framework they said was needed to improve traffic flow on the Gulf Coast for the project. The heavily traveled east-west route links Jacksonville, Florida, with Los Angeles. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Rebuild Alabama Act awards $3.11 million for road and bridge projects
Gov. Kay Ivey announced yesterday that $3.11 million in state funding is going to cities and counties for road and bridge projects under a program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act. Passed in 2019, the Act requires the Alabama Department of Transportation to establish a yearly program to set aside $10 million of the top of the state’s share of the gas tax revenue for local projects. $4.93 million was awarded for 21 local projects in 17 cities and counties earlier this year. The Grant Program awarded $10.2 million for local projects in 2020. Ivey stated on Twitter, “As part of #RebuildAL’s annual grant program, I’m proud to announce $3.11 million is being awarded to cities & counties across Alabama for various road and bridge projects.” As part of #RebuildAL’s annual grant program, I’m proud to announce $3.11 million is being awarded to cities & counties across Alabama for various road and bridge projects. Check out the list. ⬇️ #alpolitics https://t.co/4cgj19Y1zk — Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) June 14, 2021 Gov. Ivey stated, “Improving Alabama’s infrastructure remains a top priority of the Ivey Administration, and thanks to Rebuild Alabama, we are continually able to put these funds to good use. More and more communities and cities across our state are seeing new road and bridge projects in their areas, and I look forward to that continuing. When we invest in our roads and bridges, we are investing in our people and our future.” 13 projects were selected and an additional round of local projects is expected later this year. All projects are required to move forward within one year of the awarding of funds. For more information about the Annual Grant Program, visit the program’s webpage.
Alabama’s roads, bridges receive $7 million for much needed repairs
Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) on Thursday announced $7 million in funding is being awarded to cities and counties across the state for various local road and bridge projects. Made available through the Annual Grant Program, a new program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act that established the gas tax, the funding will support 31 projects. “An investment in our roads and bridges is an investment in the future of Alabama. These $7 million in funds will go a long way in helping communities across the state address various road and bridge projects,” Ivey said. “I am proud to see the continuing positive ramifications from the Rebuild Alabama Act. Soon, every Alabama citizen will feel the benefits from this additional investment in our infrastructure.” $7 million in awards is part of a larger $10 million that has been set aside under the Rebuild Alabama Act for local road and bridge projects this year. A second award cycle is expected later this year to award the remaining $3 million
Department of Transportation had spent nearly $60 million on toll project
Alabama had already spent almost $60 million on a south Alabama toll bridge project before the governor pronounced the project “dead.” Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Harris says the department spent about $40 million since 1997 on alignment studies, preliminary engineering and other costs. He says the state also spent another $19.6 million to buy land for the bridge. The proposed bridge across Mobile Bay would have had tolls of up to $6. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey last week pronounced the project “dead.” The pronouncement came after the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization removed the bridge from the area’s transportation plan. The project must be in the plan detailing the region’s transportation priorities to qualify for federal funding. Harris says it was too early to speculate about next steps. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Laura Lane and Doug Snow: For whom the bridge tolls, an expose of big government run amok
In general, the fuel tax pays for our ordinary highways today. Given this, tolls should be used to pay for some privilege. The Beach Express in Orange Beach provided an alternative to Highway 59, a non-tolled route. It gave people who chose to pay a toll a privileged ride. This is an appropriate use of tolling. Toll roads are most definitely a libertarian stance; we advocate that all public services be funded in a voluntary manner. Then, along comes the current AL legislature and, under the leadership of Kay Ivey, proceeds to RAIP the citizens. Portions of the RAIP plan go into effect in September, mainly the gas tax which increases the current rate by 10 cents. The plan was touted as needed to pay for infrastructure upgrades to bridges and roads. Then, Ivey admitted to a local area news station that the legislators were coached on the plan and those that weren’t in agreement were not encouraged to run for office. After the passage of the RAIP, one of the first things Ivey said was that the first monies coming in from the gas tax would be allocated to the Port of Mobile for dredging and widening of the channel. Now, Ivey, through Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), is trying to force a toll bridge onto the citizens of Mobile and Baldwin counties. This plan calls for the toll project to commandeer the Wallace Tunnel and Bay Way, existing portions of I-10. The tunnel will become part of the new toll project, but the existing Bay Way will be torn down. The tunnel and Bay Way have already been paid for by the citizens using Federal and State fuel taxes. It is an unfair double taxation to commandeer those structures and toll them. This misappropriation amounts to the initiation of force to achieve political goals. The people have already paid for the Wallace Tunnel and Bay Way and now they are being taken away from their rightful owners. In contrast, the toll plan for Mobile destroys the route the people have paid for with their fuel tax in order to drive people onto the tolled route. They offer the Causeway ( a portion US Hwy 90) and the Cochrane Bridge as alternatives. This is an insult to the people of Alabama for ALDOT to pretend the Causeway is a viable non-tolled route. The insult of misinformation is repeated often in the plan to privatize the Bridge. ALDOT has hired Allison Gregg to head up a massive public relations campaign to sell the toll to the people of Alabama. It is not the function of the government to sell its ideas to the people. It is the proper function of government to prudently implement the ideas of the people. Many people who follow the Mobile River Bridge and Bay Way toll project accuse the State of Alabama elected officials and bureaucrats of corruption. This is not a claim to be made lightly and the Libertarian Party of Alabama and Citizens for Government Accountability make no such claim. Still, state government has created an atmosphere favorable to corruption. The state legislature created the Alabama Toll Road, Bridge and Tunnel Authority to oversee all toll projects in the State of Alabama. The function of this Authority is oversight of state bureaucracies. The entire Authority is appointed by the Governor. John Cooper, the Director of Transportation for Alabama and head of ALDOT is on that Authority. This lack of independence is an accommodation to corruption. Transparency and accountability are lacking and cannot be enforced without some type of Initiative and Referendum in place for the State. State funds belong to the taxpayers. It is foundational that our government be responsible stewards of those funds. Here are disturbing facets of the Mobile River Bridge and Bay Way toll project itself: • The state will enter a 55-year deal.• The state has limited non tolled crossing of Mobile River and Bay to the Causeway only. The Bankhead tunnel leading from Downtown to the Causeway is only one lane in each direction. Traffic jams and delays are planned obstacles to using the non toll route that are expected to force people to pay a toll to cross.• Although the proposed toll would be $6, the toll operator is allowed to add a 40% surcharge for processing the invoice for the toll.• The planned deal is extremely complicated with many unacceptable risk points.• Road and Bridge private funding is very prone to bankruptcy.• Bids that lose will receive up to $2 million in reimbursement. This toll road is wholly unacceptable to the people of Alabama and should be immediately stopped. Alabama’s own State Auditor, Jim Zeigler, has presented information that shows there is money available for this project and is leading a group of over 52,000 Alabama residents in opposition to this plan. But what’s the backstory here? Something is going on to make this bridge…this TOLL bridge such an urgent issue for the current State leadership. So let’s take a look at this proposed toll bridge and the history behind this 20-plus year fiasco. From the beginning, frequent travelers of I-10 that use the Wallace tunnels and Bay Way have voiced complaints about the entrance to the tunnels; both East and West sides have fairly sharp turns leading into the tunnels, along with on-ramps from local streets. As the population has grown and more residents are traveling to either side of the Bay for employment, congestion and accidents have gotten worse. They say hindsight is 20/20. ALDOT and the designers of the Wallace Tunnel and Bay Way were definitely short-sighted. Both should have planned for growth and made them capable of handling, at a minimum, three lanes of traffic both ways. The Federal government had put in $27 million in transportation funding in the 1990’s for a project that would have fixed the issue of the sharp turns and on ramps at the entrances to the Wallace Tunnels. The project was given in the green
$700 million rebuilding of closed Birmingham interstate on schedule
Officials say the reconstruction of Interstate 59/20 through downtown Birmingham remains on schedule. Alabama Department of Transportation Regional Engineer DeJarvis Leonard tells WBRC-TV that the overall project is somewhere between 75% and 80% complete. That includes placement of 1,600 new bridge segments so far. Leonard says 700 more segments need to be placed. The shutdown affects the more than 1-mile-long section of I-59/20 from Red Mountain Expressway to Interstate 65. Traffic clogged downtown Birmingham streets after the shutdown began in January, but Leonard says congestion is easing. He says traffic signals have been adjusted on one detour route to speed motorists. Construction costs are expected to top $700 million. If Texas contractor Johnson Brothers finishes before the March 2020 deadline, it could earn a bonus of up to $15 million. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
With possible gas tax hike on the horizon, Senate committee approves ALDOT oversight bill
With a possible gas tax hike on the horizon, some lawmakers are hoping new Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) oversight and transparency measures make the voting for the tax hike easier to stomach. Which is why the Alabama Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would do just that. “We’re getting some of the accountability and transparency back, and that’s important. I needed that to be able to support (the bill),”Athens-Republican, State Rep. Danny Crawford told The News Courier. The committee passed Pratville-Republican, State Sen. Clyde Chambliss‘ S.B. 2, which requires that the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), ALDOT’s long-range plan of road and bridge projects in Alabama, be constantly available on ALDOT’s website, along with any updates of the STIP plan. “This bill dramatically increases oversight and accountability for the Department of Transportation,” Chambliss said. “Governor Ivey has put forward her Rebuild Alabama plan for modernizing Alabama’s infrastructure, and I support her proposal. At the same time, the Legislature is tasked with making sure tax dollars are being spent in a transparent, efficient, and accountable manner.” Increasing transparency, accountability Gov. Kay Ivey‘s 10-cent gas tax increase proposal is part of her Rebuild Alabama Infrastructure Plan. It would be implemented over a three-year period to fund the state’s infrastructure improvements. Ivey’s plan appropriates 66.67 percent of the funds raised from the gas tax to the ALDOT, leaving many lawmakers looking for more transparency and accountability before a final vote on the tax increase. “At the end of the year, they would have to show where the money was spent and it will be audited,” Crawford told The News Courier. “We don’t want any dollars going to equipment or employee raises. “Accountability is an important piece of Governor Ivey’s Rebuild Alabama plan. We still have work to do but I believe that at the end of the day we will have a piece of legislation that holds ALDOT accountable for the work they do and the money they spend,” explained Anniston-Republican, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh. “This measure of oversight must be approved to show the taxpayers how money is been used to improve roads and bridges in Alabama. I want to thank the Transportation Committee for their work on this important piece of legislation.” S.B. 2 also reorganizes the Alabama Legislative Joint Transportation Committee, which has responsibility for reviewing the long-term plans and budget for the Department of Transportation. Chambliss’ plan specifies the Joint Transportation Committee will meet four times per year at the Statehouse, and mandates that members will be automatically removed if they miss two meetings in a calendar year. Apparent bipartisan support When Chambliss’ proposal was introduced in the Senate last week, Greensboro-Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton welcomed the legislation as something both sides of the aisle could support. “Accountability is a bipartisan issue and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that our transportation dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Infrastructure is important to our future and we must make the most of every dollar,” Singleton said.
Steve Flowers: Infrastructure program should be priority 1
As the new quadrennium crests in Alabama government, everybody looks toward a new beginning. There is a new fresh four years ahead for the newly elected leaders. They are overwhelmingly Republican. The Governor is Republican and all of the accompanying constitutional officeholders are members of the GOP. More importantly, the State Legislature, both the House and the Senate are Republicans. In fact, over two-thirds of each chamber are Republican. It is a supermajority. The cards are lining up for these leaders to leave a legacy. That legacy could and should be to rebuild Alabama’s roads and bridges. The optimum word is infrastructure. Folks know that it is time. Alabamians see the needs everyday as they drive to work. The staunchest and most conservative people I know throughout the state tell me, adamantly, that they are flat ready to pay more in gasoline tax to fix their roads. The hue and cry arises from rural folks whose roads are impassable from large potholes. Birmingham’s roads are deplorable. Suburban commuters who have to travel highway 280 in Jefferson and Shelby counties are exasperated. Indeed, commuters in the state from all of our largest metro areas are acutely aware of the horrendous log jams they experience every day. The country folks have figured out that it would be cheaper to pay more for gasoline than it is to pay for having their frontends aligned and tires balanced every few weeks from hitting holes in their roads. A good many of the rural bridges in the state have been condemned and are hazardous for heavy trucks and school buses to travel. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has an unprecedented number of unmet repairs and expansions. A spokesman for ALDOT says there are $10 billion of identified capacity projects and needs. Some big-ticket items on the ALDOT list include a new Interstate 10 and bridge and Bayway widening project in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, the completion of the Birmingham northern beltline, the Montgomery Outer Loop, and additional lanes along the interstate in Huntsville. Speaking of Huntsville, they are poised to be one of the fastest growing areas of the entire nation over the next decade. It is imperative that their infrastructure needs are met to keep pace with their expansion. Toyota-Mazda is set to build their largest plant in the Huntsville-Madison metro area. They were assured that roads would be built to accommodate their location and expansion. Alabama, like most states, relies on gasoline taxes to pay for their roads and bridges. It has been 26 years since our gas tax was raised. The last time that Alabama had an increase in our fuel tax was 1992. That state increase was just ahead of the last federal gas tax increase enacted by Congress. President Donald Trump pledged while running and again after his election in 2016 to advance a massive infrastructure program, the largest in U.S. history. He signaled support for increasing the federal gasoline tax to pay for this American infrastructure initiative. This rebuilding of America infrastructure is one of the bipartisan issues that both Democrats and Republicans are espousing. It is a certainty that states will have to come up with matching dollars to get the federal money. Indeed, 28 states have raised or reformed their taxes since 2013 in anticipation of a federal tax increase which they will have to match. This is the one issue in which both parties in Washington can come to an agreement. We in Alabama are not ahead of the curve, but we are poised to maybe come to grips with this issue. A gasoline tax increase to fund infrastructure needs will be the paramount issue of 2019. My guess is that it will happen this year. Governor Kay Ivey, shortly after taking office, said she “supported an increase in the state gasoline tax to fix state roadways.” House Speaker, Mac McCutcheon, of Huntsville, has trumpeted the need for a road program for years. Most of his Republican colleagues in the House ran for reelection without having to take a vow that they would not raise any new revenue or taxes. The stars are aligned for Alabama to act. The time is now. The timing is good. We will probably never have the Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Committee as our Senior Senator ever again. Senator Richard Shelby will make sure that we get our fair share of the federal money. However, we must have the basic revenue to draw down the federal funds. See you next week. ••• Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in more than60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Jim Zeigler vows to continue to request information from ALDOT on Baldwin County bridge project
Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler is back at it — trying yet again to get answers from the evasive Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) on the proposed Baldwin County bridge project. ALDOT has managed to side-step Zeigler’s requests for over well over six months, and thus, for the third time, Zeigler is asking for further information about an $87 million state-funded bridge project in Baldwin County. But rather than sending a letter and waiting patiently, this time Zeigler is going to make the appeal in person at Thursday night’s scheduled hearing on the proposed new ALDOT bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway. ALDOT announced the first project-specific public hearing last month. They are scheduled to make a “brief presentation” around 5:45 p.m. and then open the hearing to public comments. Speakers will have two minutes to make statements. Zeigler said two minutes is “not-near long enough” to ask his questions, so he will present them as written comments, an option that is allowed. History of Zeigler’s unanswered questions It all began in April, when Zeigler made a request for public documents. At the time, he requested the following documents from the ALDOT: Copies of any and all studies that demonstrated a need for a bridge over the Intercoastal waterway Any and all documents that show a change in the need for the Intercoastal bridge since the determination in 2016 that the bridge was unnecessary Any and all analyses to support spending $30-$87 million in state funds in light of the pressing infrastructure needs throughout the state Any and all documents that resulted in the range of costs projected ($30 to $87 million) Documents that show cost overruns on current and recent ALDOT projects According to the court filing from the bridge company, they agreed to widen their bridge at no additional cost to Please provide any and all documents that address why the option of widening the original bridge is not being utilized. But after three months, the State Auditor, who filed the request as an everyday Alabama citizen, had not received any update from the ALDOT, so he filed a second follow-up request July 12, 2018 giving ALDOT’s Cooper and Patty a deadline to respond: August 17. Now, nearly three months after that deadline Zeigler has yet to hear anything back from the ALDOT. So Zeigler will try yet again on Thursday where he expects to get a response “because they are required to respond.” “We have to take the comments and will sort through them and summarize and we have to respond to them,” said Brian Aaron, assistant region engineer for ALDOT’s Southeast Region, which includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Zeigler is again requesting the following documents from the ALDOT: Copies of any and all studies that demonstrated a need for a bridge over the Intercoastal waterway. Any and all documents that show a change in the need for the Intercoastal bridge since the determination in 2016 that the bridge was unnecessary. Any and all analyses to support spending $30-$87 million in state funds in light of the pressing infrastructure needs throughout the state. Any and all documents that resulted in the range of costs projected ($30 to $87 million). Documents that show cost overruns on current and recent ALDOT projects. According to the court filing from the bridge company, they agreed to widen their bridge at no additional cost to Please provide any and all documents that address why the option of widening the original bridge is not being utilized. “I have more questions than answers about the proposed additional bridge,” Zeigler said in April. “I hope to solve that with my specific requests for public records. With other pressing needs for infrastructure improvements, we need to make sure that this $30 to $87 million-dollar project is the best use of our limited funds.” Project construction is expected to begin next summer, and last for two to three years. The state expects to finish the environmental permitting process by spring of 2019, and the public meeting is a requirement during this stage.
Rauf Bolden: Bridge2NoWhere in Orange Beach
Joe Emerson is a man of action. He made an activist’s move over three years ago, establishing a Facebook Group, presently having 2660+ members called: End The Bridge2Nowhere. The group opposes an $87 million state-funded flyover bridge (Diagram 1 below) west of the Foley Beach Express in Orange Beach. The flyover bridge (Diagram 1) is scheduled for 2019, ostensibly alleviating tourist traffic, and providing a hurricane-evacuation route from Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The Wolf Bay Bridge (Diagram 2) is another proposed project next to Doc’s, but funded by the City of Orange Beach not the State of Alabama. The two bridges have different funding. It is easy to confuse the two, being only a few miles apart on Canal Road. This piece is concerned with opposition to the flyover bridge. Although the Wolf Bay Bridge is mentioned, it is not the focus of any opposition in Orange Beach. Joe’s Facebook Group argues the taxpayer-funded flyover bridge is a misuse of the State of Alabama’s infrastructure money. According to a report by Apryl Marie Fogel at Alabama Today, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) cannot explain how the decision was made; funding the ALDOT approved flyover bridge in Orange Beach with state taxpayer dollars. Mayor Tony Kennon of Orange Beach thinks Joe’s group does not have all the facts, “…load up and come to a council meeting so that u can get the facts, the real truth and stop being educated into further ignorance by following this site,” posted Mayor Tony Kennon on Facebook. Public Meeting Notice: The City of Gulf Shores is hosting a comments meeting, as required by the Corps of Engineers, discussing the flyover bridge on November 15, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., in the Gulf Shores Activity Center, 260 Club House Drive, Gulf Shores, Ala.. This meeting should clarify any doubts regarding the actual location of the proposed flyover bridge, allowing citizens to submit letters for or against the project. Send your email to: swinfo@dot.state.al.us. “Right now, there is a proposal to take that damn flyover [bridge] out of our backyard [in Craft Farms]. Supposedly they are going to move the road further east closer to the Foley Beach Express. I don’t have anything set in stone they’re going to totally do away with the flyover,” said Mike Powell in a report by the Lagniappe. “This [flyover] bridge and roadway will be built,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Craft at a Council Meeting, reported in the Mullet Wrapper. The Mayor’s comments carry weight, summarizing the public hearing on November 15 as simply a formality by the Corps of Engineers. His comments essentially galvanize opponents of the flyover bridge with a mix of alarm and apathy. It seems the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores have already decided to endorse the project. Residents care about how their tax dollars are spent. “I think a [flyover] bridge west of the toll bridge would be a redundant idea, east of the bridge would be a better idea,” said Jonathan Christie, an eight year resident of Orange Beach. “Living in the Josephine community, I am afraid of the growth and everything that goes with that [Wolf Bay Bridge],” explained Deputy Chief Greg Duck (retired), a veteran of the Orange Beach Police Department. “Neither [bridge] makes sense to me,” Karen Clark, a 39-year resident of Orange Beach said. “It seems to me that [flyover] bridge [will only be another place that cars will be dumped on to Canal Road — they’ll then either have to go east or west just like they do coming off of the Foley Beach Express. That won’t help the traffic problem on Canal. What I think is really needed is another road south to beach highway,” added a resident of over 20 years, requesting anonymity. The Facebook Group argues the flyover bridge is not needed, but others disagree. “If we give them [tourists] another option [flyover bridge], a free option and potentially a quicker option than Highway 59, you’re removing 20 percent of the traffic off of Highway 59. The largest pinch point on this island is that bridge [on Hwy 59],” said Blake Phelps, Gulf Shores Director of Economic Development, in a report by the Mullet Wrapper. One wonders if the sole motivation of the flyover bridge is to put the privately owned toll bridge (Foley Beach Express) out of business. Perhaps the Orange Beach City Council is planning to acquire the Toll Plaza in receivership for pennies on the dollar, giving residents a healthy return on their public-private partnership. ••• Rauf Bolden is retired IT Director at the City of Orange Beach, working as an IT & Web Consultant on the Beach Road. He can be reached at: publisher@velvetillusion.com.
Amid continued lack of answers from ALDOT, residents request records from Army Corps for Baldwin County bridge
Having grown tired of waiting for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to give them answers about a proposed new bridge in Baldwin County, a group of locals have taken matters into their own hands on their quest for more information. On Thursday, 6 local residents sent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District office a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to “obtain access and review the permit application and records and studies, and comments, and other correspondence and documents in the file: SAM-206-00913-LET (The new permit application for the ICW bridge and road project).” According to the FOIA document, the signers “are making this request on behalf of residents, property owners, homeowners, tourists, a citizens’ group specifically formed based on interest in the project, and others including local public officials who correspond with residents and citizens through a Facebook page.“ At issue is a $87 million state-funded, competing bridge to the Foley Beach Express — a proposed connector from SR-180 to Foley Beach Express Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway that will run between Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Ala. Opponents of the bridge insist it is a waste of taxpayer funds that will be diverting much-needed state resources away from other critical state infrastructure projects while not addressing the true transportation and infrastructure needs of the community while proponents say they’re tired of paying tolls and believe the new bridge will solve traffic problems. Last week news broke that ALDOT has scheduled the first project-specific public hearing for the bridge on Nov. 15. ALDOT has invited anyone in the Southwest Region (Mobile area) interested in the new bridge to the hearing at the Gulf Shores Activity Center. There, they will get a chance to ask questions, make comments, and may review project information and exhibits on display. But some local residents don’t have much faith in what they consider the long-overdue ALDOT hearing, which is why they’ve turned to the USACE FOIA. “Myself and many other members of the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach community feel it is necessary to be allowed access to the permit plans, records and studies associated with the ICW bridge project,” said Joe Emerson, the founder of the Facebook group dedicated to stopping what he dubbed “End The #Bridge2Nowhere. “Multiple requests were made by the public to the USACE in May of this year asking for a public hearing about the LET request and we haven’t even been granted as much as an answer.” Emerson continued, “The state and local officials that are endorsing this project would have the taxpayers believe that this project is good for local and state interests when in fact in is quite to the contrary. If the project is so beneficial, then why can we not be granted access to public information about this project in a timely manner?” The FOIA requestors are asking that the fees be waived for their request as “the project is being funded with our tax dollars, and because this is public information.” “When the State Auditor, journalists and the tax-paying public are denied timely access to public information surrounding the ICW Bridge and Roadway project, there are few assumptions to be made besides the one suggesting there are faults and problems with the plans at their core,” Emerson concluded. Read the USACE FOIA request below:
Candidate Stephen McNair calls for Alabama Legislature to pay for I-10 Mobile River bridge
Traffic crossing Mobile River and Bay on Interstate 10 has more than doubled since the current facilities were built in 1970, far exceeding the planned capacity. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is working to increase capacity on I-10 by building a new six-lane bridge over the Mobile River On Wednesday, Republican and candidate for State House District 97 Stephen McNair called on lawmakers in Montgomery to pay their “fair share” for the bridge. In June, state officials found out the bridge project did not receive a federal grant that was hoped to provide as much $250 million dollars for the $2 billion project. On his campaign Facebook page and through a billboard posted on the East side of the tunnel, McNair has called for Montgomery to foot the bill for construction of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge as restitution for stealing the Gulf Coast’s BP settlement funding. “It is a travesty that the Alabama Legislature directed Mobile’s BP settlement allocation to be used as a one-time fix to balance the state budget instead of investing in our coastal communities,” said McNair. “Mobile and Baldwin County are consistently ignored and misunderstand by those in Montgomery.” Speaking to a sentiment shared by many citizens in District 97, McNair continued, “We endure hurricanes and oil spills, meanwhile Montgomery steals our BP money and ignores our aging infrastructure and coastal needs.” McNair continued “even Mississippi allocated 70 percent of their BP settlement funds to coastal counties, and yet in Alabama, 70 percent of our funds went to Montgomery.” Construction on the project is scheduled to start by early 2020. Alabama Today has reached out to McNair’s opponent, incumbent State Rep. Adline Clarke for comment. We will update this piece if/when she responds. Check-out the conceptual rendering of the bridge: In a statement posted to his Facebook page during Hurricane Michael evacuations, McNair wrote about heavy traffic on the Bayway saying, “Mobile is a city with unique challenges and recourses. We generate revenue and jobs for our entire state through the port, tourism and aerospace.” McNair will appear on the November 6th ballot against incumbent, Adline Clarke.
