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Byrne Planning To Introduce Alternative To High Tolls On $2.1 Billion I-10 Bridge Project
August 12, 2019
Congressman Bradley Byrne said Monday afternoon that he’s opposed to the high tolls proposed for a new Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway.
The Alabama Department of Transportation has proposed a $6 one-way toll or a $90 monthly pass for unlimited trips across the planned $2.1 billion bridge.
During a town hall meeting in Atmore Monday afternoon, Byrne announced he will “introduce something soon” to present to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey that will offer an alternative to the high tolls. He said he is working at the federal, state and local levels to determine what might be feasible to lower or eliminate the tolls and decrease the overall price of the bridge project. Right now, he said, the toll is simply “too much”.
“Finding the money to pay for this project – the biggest infrastructure project in our state’s history – was never going to be easy,” Ivey wrote in an op-ed piece released Friday. “Be assured, we will continue to look to Washington for additional help that can make this project a reality.”
She announced that elected leader from local, state and federal offices will be given an opportunity to submit their ideas at a public meeting on October 7 in Montgomery.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
19 Responses to “Byrne Planning To Introduce Alternative To High Tolls On $2.1 Billion I-10 Bridge Project”
Alabama is ahead of Florida in some regards. Saw signs on Interstates
giving instructions to drive in the travel lane unless passing…then get back
in the travel lane afterwards. Gas is cheaper and they have a”Buc-Eeez”
bout 20 minutes away for the lucky ! Chances are good their conservative
Politicians will stay in office and in control for years to come ! The Crimson
Tide would prolly beat all Florida teams including Tampa Bay ,Dolphins, and Jax.
RTR
There will not be toll booths. There will be cameras to read license plates. You can set up an account if you are a regular user (lower cost) or they will send you a bill. This system is being used in many places. Tolls will be charged for the new bridge and the Wallace tunnels. I have been told the Bankhead tunnel and the Cochrane bridge will not have tolls.
$2.1B is a huge bridge project. Alabama welfare budget = $3.1B for 1 year. Just take it out of that.
See ya’ Mobile. Might as well erase the big grease spot off of the map right now.
Follow the money.
What is is the toll for an 18 wheeler?
I am not a fan of tolls on Interstate roads, no matter where they are located. This to me is a failure of the federal government to properly budget and spend the taxes collected.
I assume the proposal is to float a bond to build the bridge, hence the need for tolls to service it. Granted that is always based on assumptions of traffic flows/use which if not correct, result in increased tolls. One question I have is, will the toll go away when the bridge is paid for in 30 years. If that is supposed to be the case, it better be written into the legalese otherwise politicians will keep it going for eternity.
Finally, the $90/month is not that bad of a deal if you are commuting for work. Considering there are an average of about 22.5 work days a month, that would be 45 trips a month, or a $2 per crossing toll.
I will not pay $6 to get into Mobile, then another $6 to get out! If I cannot use the tunnel, I will not go to Mobile. There is nothing there I cannot get anywhere else. I suspect the college students, and the people visiting the college, will suffer. Find an alternative, please!
If you build it they will come….or not! Let them build the bridge and expect the people to pay. It MIGHT just be like the Garson Point bridge to Gulf Breeze. People refused to line the pockets of the builders and they will drive miles out of the way to get to Gulf Breeze or just don’t go there at all. LOL
Also what is wrong with using the gasoline tax increase to fund the building of this bridge. I am sick of tax payers being taken to the cleaners.
PLAN B: 2,100,000,000 ÷ 6 = 350,000,000. 350,000,000 is roughly the population of the US. We just need to ask everyone in the US to mail a $6.00 check to ALDOT. Problem solved. You are welcome.
No need to boycott Mobile, you could still use either tunnel. The state needs to resolve the new Riverview/East Brewton bridge situation before they move on to anything else. Locals have started calling it the new Riverview fishing pier.
Why didn’t the DOT build this bridge years ago insteand of building the I-10 tunnel? As I remember it, that question was asked just after the tunnel was finished. Byrne need not worry about it, his days in Congress are nearly over. Maybe the state should do as the taxpayers, save up for the things you what or need.
Are they planning to get rid of the current I-10 bridge or will that still be a choice for people who don’t want to pay the toll?
Are there any plans available to see what the bridge will be?
The public push-back over tolls is understandable after all these years of free passage. However, the bridge builders are not philanthropists and cannot build the bridge for free, and the state cupboard is essentially bare. The builders are a for-profit entity, just like any other business. They are investing their own money and therefore are entitled to a return on their investment – in this case in the form of tolls (whatever dollar amount is mutually agreeable to by all parties). They are not interested in creating hardships for the residents of Mobile and those on the eastside of the bay. To the contrary. They are willing to construct the new bridge with their own money, thereby alleviating current traffic issues. In return, the builders get a toll. It’s that simple.
Further, it’s a reasonable condition of the builders to impose tolls on both the new bridge and the existing Wallace Tunnel to protect their investment. Leaving the Wallace Tunnel as a free alternative could theoretically bring the ROI on the builder’s $2.1 billion investment to $0.00. Realistically, it could drive down ROI to unacceptable levels for the builders. The risk would be untenable.
The bridge builders are not robber-barons. Resolving issues like the Tunnel conundrum is what they do for a living. But the harsh reality is that the new bridge is a take it or leave it proposition. No hard feelings. The builders will understand and move on to their next project. But unfortunately, Mobilians will continue to push peanut butter through that double-barrel straw.
Not going to mobile if they charge money for a toll. That is outrageous. I will also boycott Mobile over this toll.
Not much of a city anyways.
Bradley Byrne is going to do something soon. Have you ever heard a politician say that before?
A $6 (each way) toll will turn Mobile into a Southern version of Detroit and Baldwin County into a new Oakland (MI) county. If I was a retailer, I’d get my new store built east of the bay as soon as possible.
My wife and I visit relatives in Gulfport MS every month. We can not afford to visit with a toll so expensive.
I don’t mind paying something reasonable – as in $1.00 each way.
Does the Alabama DOT realize how much traffic backup there will be when toll booths become an addition to travel and travel time on the bayway ?
I’ll boycott Mobile over those bills too.
Howie for no toll !
When the traffic backs up they should send out some pollsters. See who is going where. Maybe large companies who have a lot of workers can move their hours a bit and ease some traffic.. I’ll boycott Mobile over those tolls.