OP-ED: U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville – ‘President Trump Is Delivering for Alabama and the Gulf Coast’

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, AL.com published a column penned by U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) celebrating President Trump's steadfast commitment to complete the critical Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project.

In the op-ed, the Senators outline how crucial this infrastructure project is for Alabama's economy, workforce, and transportation routes, along with the project's impact to the entire Southeast. Thanks to President Trump, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Susie Wiles, and Governor Kay Ivey's leadership, the Senators announce this major breakthrough for the Mobile River Bridge and how this Administration cleared the final obstacles to complete the project.

Excerpts from the column are below, and you can read the full piece here.

"Now, in his second term, President Trump is delivering again in the same city where that historic movement found its earliest and strongest support. Thanks to his leadership, we can inform the people of Alabama that the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project is finally moving toward construction after 30 years of discussion, delay and doubt."

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"The Wallace Tunnel and Bayway are part of one of the most important transportation corridors in America, touching a major port, airport, naval shipbuilding facility and hundreds of thousands of workers, families, visitors, businesses, military assets and supply chains across the Gulf Coast and the entire country.

"Major infrastructure projects are complex, and this one has been the most challenging in Alabama's history. Over the years, the project was burdened by rising costs, changing plans, bureaucratic red tape and unnecessary extras. All made it harder to deliver the core infrastructure Alabama actually needs."

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"He knows infrastructure is about building roads and bridges that serve the American people, not funding wish lists that just make projects more expensive and harder to complete. So, his administration is stepping in, cutting through red tape and helping Alabama clear the final obstacles standing in the way of this transformational project.

"Let us describe what the White House is committing to do:

"First, the Trump administration is selecting the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway as the first project to ever qualify for the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program. This is a major breakthrough. It gives Alabama the ability to use toll revenue in the most effective and responsible way possible to help finance the project, ensuring it moves forward as a complete solution.

"Second, President Trump is clearing mounds of red tape surrounding the previously awarded $550 million Bridge Investment Program grant. That flexibility will allow Alabama to use those funds more quickly as the state prepares to begin construction.

"Third, President Trump's administration is cutting unnecessary bureaucratic requirements and commitments from the project scope, creating hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings. That is exactly the kind of common-sense leadership taxpayers deserve.

"None of this happens by accident. It follows months - even years - of serious, high-level discussions among Alabama's congressional delegation, local leaders from Mobile and Baldwin counties, Gov. Kay Ivey, the Alabama Department of Transportation, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and senior federal transportation officials - all with the active participation and support of President Trump."

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"There will be more details to share in the weeks ahead as the final pieces are completed, and we look forward to inviting President Trump to the groundbreaking ceremony and a triumphant return to Mobile.

"Alabama is ready to build this bridge. The finish line is now in sight and President Donald J. Trump, state officials and the local MPOs deserve enormous credit for getting us here."

This announcement is the culmination of years of support from Senator Britt. She repeatedly used her role on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development to advocate for the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project and received commitments from Secretary Duffy to prioritize this important infrastructure project. Earlier this year, she sent a letter to Secretary Duffy requesting the Department's continued partnership in seeing this project completed. Outside of committee hearings, Senator Britt also met with Secretary Duffy several times to discuss Alabama infrastructure priorities, including the Mobile Bay Bridge and Bayway.

Last year, Senator Britt applauded Secretary Duffy's announcement finalizing the $550 million in federal funding. "This strategic investment is exactly how federal transportation and infrastructure funds should be spent, and I am proud we worked together to bring these Alabama taxpayer dollars home," she stated in part.

In the 118^th Congress, Senator Britt twice led the entire Alabama Congressional delegation in advocating on behalf of investing federal funds in this project.

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