Alabama offers truck toll to fund bridge

ALast month, labama officials proposed a plan to impose a toll on semi-trailers only to help finance the construction of a new bridge.

At a press conference in Spanish Fort, Alabama, Mobile City Mayor Sandy Stimpson outlined a $ 725 million plan that he says will reduce traffic congestion on the Interstate- 10 by building a new four-lane truck bridge over the Mobile River.

According to the plan, all trucks over 46 feet in length would be prohibited from taking the I-10 Wallace bridge and would instead be required to use a new I-10 truck bridge.

A toll of $ 10 to $ 15 would be put in place for trucks using the new truck bridge.

No new tolls would be imposed on passenger vehicles under the plan.

Mobile River Bridge, Alabama – Image: Mobile River Bridge Group

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Officials say forcing truck traffic on the new bridge would save drivers in the mobile zone 60 to 90 minutes behind I-10 during rush hour.

Another part of the proposed project would involve re-striping the I-10 Bayway to make it three lanes instead of two to increase traffic flow. One of the three lanes would be reserved for trucks.

“This will increase traffic flow by about 40 percent and improve safety by separating cars and trucks in their own separate lanes,” Alabama Department of Transportation consultant Vince Calametti said.

The American Trucking Association (ATA) has spoken out against the truck toll and suggested it may be in violation of the dormant trade clause, which prohibits states from discriminating against intestate trade. The group has previously suggested legal challenges to the truck-only toll plan.

A similar, more expensive version of the proposal was introduced in 2019, but dropped due to public outcry over a $ 6 toll to fund the project.