New I-10 toll bridge planned in Alabama. Here’s are 5 things drivers should know

Alabama transportation officials plan to break ground this year on a more than $5 billion Interstate 10 toll bridge project over the Mobile River. Mississippi drivers and other out-of-state motorists will pay higher tolls than Alabama residents to cross the new span.

FULL STORY: Alabama plans new I-10 bridge over Mobile Bay, but MS drivers will have to pay

Here are key takeaways:

• The project has been split into two phases after rising costs and federal requirements caused decades of delays. Phase one includes a 215-foot-tall cable-stayed bridge over the Mobile River, expected to open around 2031.
• Drivers with out-of-state toll tags will pay $7.70 per crossing, while motorists with an Alabama toll pass will pay $3 per trip. Monthly unlimited passes will cost $60, up from the $40 rate proposed in 2021.
• Tony Harris, chief of communication and government relations at ALDOT, said phase one will be financed through toll revenue, which will also pay for the Bayway’s replacement.
• The existing George Wallace Tunnel and other current routes will remain in operation and toll-free. The current Bayway, built in 1977 for 35,000 vehicles daily, now carries more than 100,000 motorists during peak hours.
• State leaders said the Trump administration selected the project as the first to qualify for the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot program, which allows toll revenue to finance construction.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.