Seven years after a proposed toll plan for the Interstate 10 Mobile River bridge and Bayway sparked statewide uproar, the Alabama Department of Transportation’s latest financing proposal is meeting a more muted response in and around Mobile.
From defeat in 2019 to a redesigned plan in 2026
In August 2019, ALDOT’s toll scheme — which included a $6 one-way toll and a $90 monthly unlimited pass — became the focal point of a vigorous opposition movement. The so-called “No Toll” campaign, buoyed by social media and in-person hearings, helped push local officials to abandon the then-$2.1 billion project and prompted Gov. Kay Ivey to declare the plan “dead.” A public hearing tied to that debate was held Aug. 15, 2019, at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort.
The current project has been redesigned: it carries an estimated price tag of $3.2 billion and focuses on construction of a new 215-foot-tall cable-stayed bridge spanning the Mobile River, changes to interchanges, and restriping the existing Bayway to add capacity. Unlike the earlier proposal, it does not call for tolling the existing Wallace Tunnel.
What’s different about the tolling proposal
- The new toll plan offers a discounted rate of $3 one-way for drivers with an ALGO Pass.
- Motorists without the ALGO Pass would face a $7.70 fee one-way.
- An unlimited-ride monthly pass under the new scheme is priced at $60.
Those changes mark a clear shift from the 2019 structure that many residents considered steep. The redesigned toll levels, elimination of tolling on the tunnel and the narrower scope of the construction package are factors ALDOT and some elected officials say have reduced the intensity of opposition.
“I think the fear of tolls has diminished,” said state Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, who was involved in the 2019 toll controversies that consumed coastal Alabama, particularly Baldwin County.
Local consequences and remaining concerns
For Mobile-area commuters, the practical differences are significant. The smaller one-way charge for pass holders and a lower monthly unlimited rate could change commuting calculations for those who cross the river daily. The project’s narrowed footprint — focusing on the new main-span bridge, interchange improvements and Bayway restriping — also reshapes the local traffic and construction impacts compared with the broader approach floated in 2019.
At the same time, the project’s higher overall price tag — rising from the earlier $2.1 billion estimate to $3.2 billion — and the introduction of user fees mean the proposal will remain a subject of local scrutiny. City and county officials have not embraced the new plan, and social media commentary around tolls continues, though without the intensity seen seven years ago.
| 2019 plan | 2026 plan |
|---|---|
| $2.1 billion estimate; $6 one-way; $90 monthly; tolling included on Wallace Tunnel | $3.2 billion estimate; $3 one-way (ALGO), $7.70 (cash); $60 monthly; no toll on Wallace Tunnel; new 215-ft cable-stayed bridge |
As the project moves forward, residents and local leaders in Mobile will watch how ALDOT refines financing, traffic management and construction timelines. The changes since 2019 show that tolling has become a more familiar policy tool in Alabama, but the trade-offs between upfront public funding and user fees will continue to shape the conversation in neighborhoods and at the ballot box.
Public meetings and formal comment periods will provide opportunities for Mobile-area residents to examine the latest plan’s details and to weigh in on how the new bridge and tolling regime will affect daily life across the bay.
