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with Section 106 ACHP
Case Digest Fall
2003 Alabama: Construction of the I-10
Bridge, Mobile
Alabama:
Construction of the I-10 Bridge, Mobile
Agency: Federal Highway
Administration
The waterfront
of Mobile, Alabama, features many historic properties, including
the Dauphin Street and Church Street East Historic Districts and
the Old Southern Market Building/Old City Hall, which is a National
Historic Landmark.
The Federal
Highway Administration proposes to build a bridge across Mobiles
bay to ease traffic congestion. To accommodate ships, however, the
proposed bridge will be 190 feet highonly 20 feet shorter
than San Franciscos Golden Gate Bridge. In addition to the
bridges visual intrusion, an increase in vehicle access to
the waterfront may adversely affect some of the citys historic
properties.
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To improve the Interstate 10 corridor between Mobile and Baldwin Counties
in Alabama, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) plans to construct
a six-to-eight lane cable-stayed suspension bridge over the Mobile River.
To allow tall cargo and passenger ships to continue using the bay, the
bridges central span would be 190 feet highmaking it the second
tallest bridge over a port in the country. Comparatively, the roadway
would be 15 feet taller than both the Baytown Bridge in Houston, Texas,
and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida, and would be only 20
feet shorter than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
In addition, the bridges supporting pylons would be approximately
500 feet tallthe height of a 45-story building.
FHWA acknowledges that the size of the bridge will have a visual effect
on the Mobile Central Business District, and, as required by Section 106
of the National Historic Preservation Act, will enter into a Memorandum
of Agreement to address the projects anticipated adverse effects
on historic properties.
The proposed bridgewhich will dominate the skyline and increase
traffic to the waterfronthas important preservation implications
for a number of Mobiles historic structures. FHWA has thus far determined
that the Old Southern Market Building/Old City Hall National Historic
Landmark would be adversely affected by the project. At least 25 other
individual historic structures and two historic districts, however, will
be in the vicinity of the proposed bridge, including the Dauphin Street
and Church Street East Historic Districts, and Old Fort Conde, a reconstructed
18th-century French fort.
In August 2003, the ACHP notified Secretary of Transportation Norman
Y. Mineta that it would participate in consultation on the project to
resolve the proposed projects adverse effects. In addition, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Mobile Historic Development
Commission have been granted consulting party status under the Section
106 process.
Recent reports indicate that FHWA will undertake a full Environmental
Impact Statement on the proposed project. How this will affect Section
106 consultation will be determined.
Staff contact: Tom
McCulloch
Posted
May 27, 2004
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