‘Game Changer’
By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
In south Alabama, construction continues on a transformational project at Mobile International Airport.
The $380 million effort includes building a new terminal and parking garage, as well as making associated infrastructure improvements that include utilities and civil work.
“It’s incredibly fulfilling to work on a project of this scale because it’s more than just building a terminal — it’s a game changer,” said Andy Wilson, executive director of Mobile Airport Authority. “It will not only transform the way people experience travel, but also support economic growth and connect families and businesses.”
Wilson noted the new terminal is ideally located.
“It’s less than five miles from downtown Mobile and under 15 miles from Baldwin County, roughly half the distance of competing airports,” he said. “This convenient location will cut travel times and improve access for passengers. Additionally, enhanced amenities, additional gates and a larger parking garage will create a smoother, more comfortable and efficient experience for everyone passing through.”
The new terminal will feature spacious gate areas, dining options, retail shops and an executive lounge. It will be fully ADA compliant, with accessible facilities, services and accommodations for passengers with disabilities.
“This project will modernize our airport, making it more
accessible and convenient for everyone,” said Wilson. “With new amenities, increased capacity and improved efficiency, it will provide an enhanced travel experience for both local residents and visitors.”
Preconstruction began in August 2023, with construction
getting under way a few months later. Work on the parking deck started in October 2024. The expected project completion date is early 2026.
Three New Highway Upgrades Begin as Warm Weather Arrives
A project to widen Interstate 65 in Alabama’s Shelby County is now under way, according to the state’s Department of Transportation (ALDOT).
Crews will add lanes from I-65 Exit 231 north of the town of Calera to Exit 238 at Alabaster.
Both communities are south of Birmingham.
The roadwork will expand this section of the interstate to six lanes and replace eight outdated bridges, six of which are over rail tracks and another two over Shelby County Road
26. The modern and wider structures are designed to ease congestion and improve traffic flow through the busy corridor.
According to 2023 census data, Calera is one of the fastest growing towns in Alabama. To the north, the city of Alabaster also is seeing more expansion as evidenced by a new, $242 million commercial development just off I-65’s Exit 238. That project was approved last year, reported Bham Now, an online news service based in Birmingham.
ALDOT noted in a news release that the I-65 project is to be completed in three phases that will eventually be under construction all at once. The state agency awarded Birmingham’s Dunn Construction Inc. the first phase of the work, which will cost $44.05 million.
Funding for the project comes from Gov. Kay Ivey’s
in
to fund
Five Years After U.S. 231 Landslide, Officials Proud of Repairs
Five years ago on March 12, 2020, leaders with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) met with concerned residents from several northern counties to unveil an ambitious plan to repair U.S. Highway 231 after a landslide destroyed parts of the highway in Morgan County.
Heavy rain triggered the slide on Brindley Mountain in the early morning hours of Feb. 13, 2020, opening large cracks in the pavement as material shifted below. ALDOT shut down the bifurcated northbound and southbound roadways approximately 5 mi. south of Huntsville.
After studying the accident’s causes, engineers found that the slide was approximately 50 ft. below both the northbound and southbound highway. The cracks and eventual failure of the roadway were the result of heavy rains that pounded North Alabama over that winter.
Prior to the slide, the highway carried a combined total of approximately 15,000 vehicles daily. Those motorists were diverted to a roughly 15-mi. passenger car detour via Union Hill Road; the commercial detour, comprised of only state routes, was more than twice as long.
During the next few weeks after the incident, contractors removed pavement and began preliminary excavation of the slide area.
To explore several potential solutions for fixing the road, ALDOT secured the assistance of geotechnical consultants Dan Brown and Associates. Drill crews and geotech engineers also probed the mountainside for answers.
“So much went into investigating the
problem and identifying the best way to fix it — not just any repair, but a stable and timely one, but that wasn’t visible,” said ALDOT North Region Engineer Curtis Vincent. “Understandably, motorists who had been coping with the detour were growing anxious. They wondered not only how we would fix it, but how many years they would have to endure that commute.”
Before a packed auditorium at Arab High School in Marshall County, Vincent and Transportation Director John Cooper laid out the agency’s plan for repairing the damaged highway.
ALDOT proposed constructing twin bridges, one for each roadway, spanning the slide area, which would be deeply excavated to reduce the overburden on the slide. The 1,000-ft.-long bridges would be anchored by drilled shafts keyed into the mountain rock below the slip plane to hold the structures fast against continued movement of the slide.
At the time, ALDOT and its contractors estimated the road would reopen approximately one year from the start of construction.
“A monumental task confronted us,” Vincent said recently. “But I believed that if we remained determined, we could accomplish it in a much shorter timeframe than initially thought.”
Gov. Kay Ivey’s proclamation of a state of emergency due to February 2020’s flood damage helped accelerate the project toward construction, ALDOT noted. Engineers also designed the bridge plans for an emergency project letting.
Meanwhile, Huntsville’s Reed
Contracting Inc. continued to prepare the site, excavating approximately 200,000 cu.yds. of loose soil and rock.
ALDOT also found ways to shrink the anticipated construction timetable.
The agency shaved months off the project by ordering $4.2 million in custom-fabricated materials in advance to reduce the time for materials procurement later. With the plans ready in April 2020, ALDOT placed a six-month deadline on the project and attached up to $2.5 million in incentives for early completion.
In May 2020, ALDOT opened bids and awarded the $14.6 million contract to Brasfield & Gorrie of Birmingham; its win-
ning bid undershot the next lowest by $5.7 million. Reed concluded the site preparation just days later, and Brasfield & Gorrie began work June 1, 2020.
Working 24-hour days and seven days a week, the prime contractor installed most of the 32 drilled shafts by late July 2020. Each drilled shaft has a diameter of 9-ft.-6-in., contains steel reinforcing pipe and has a grade beam, or ground-level strut, between each pair of shafts.
Having constructed about half the columns and caps — the above-ground substructure atop the foundations — crews also began setting 84 pre-stressed concrete girders, the long horizontal beams that would eventually support the bridge deck.
As that summer ended and restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic eased, more vehicles began returning to Alabama’s roads. The congestion that made the U.S. 231 detour difficult for motorists during the first month of the closure threatened to intensify again, according to ALDOT.
But the bridge construction ultimately reached a timely conclusion. Brasfield & Gorrie built both bridges in less than four months — far ahead of the Dec. 2, 2020, deadline. The roadway finally reopened to the public in late September, providing relief for thousands of motorists.
When completed, the U.S. 231 repairs cost $27.5 million.
“Condensing planning and construction to a matter of months certainly increased the cost,” Vincent said. “But if we put a number on the time and trouble it saved motorists, I think we came out ahead.”
ALDOT Announces Road Project Beginning This Spring
ALDOT from page 1
2023, more than $170 million had been awarded to cities and counties through the initiative’s two grant programs.
The I-65 expansion was first announced by Ivey during a press event in August 2023, according to ALDOT.
“It was exciting to think about this announcement as I drove up [I-65] this morning, seeing the progress we are making around Clanton and the progress we have already made around Alabaster,” she said. “And folks, let me tell you, this is just one of many Alabama roads benefiting from our Rebuild Alabama effort. We are all familiar with the phrase ‘No man left behind.’ Well, Rebuild Alabama seeks to ensure we have no road, bridge or area of our state left behind.”
“Improving Alabama’s infrastructure is one of my top priorities as governor,” she added.
Corridor Improvements Set to Begin in Alexander City
The I-65 expansion is not the only road project that ALDOT has going as the 2025 construction season gets under way.
In March 2025, the department began its management of a safety improvement project for U.S. Highway 280 through Alexander City in east-central Alabama. The project limits extend from the intersection of U.S. 280 at Alabama Highway 22/Lee Street south to the intersection of U.S. 280 at Airport Road, the agency noted.
It will feature the construction of additional turn lanes, offset turn lanes, modified median crossovers and signal improvements. These modifications are needed for improved safety and traffic operations along the highway, according to the state trans-
portation agency.
Intermittent temporary lane and shoulder closures will occur during the work, which should take six to eight weeks to complete. ALDOT added that a U.S. 280 resurfacing project is also scheduled to take place along the corridor later this summer.
More Truck Passing Lanes On U.S. Highway 431
To the east of Alexander City, in Chambers County, another road project is set to get under way on or about March 24, 2025, to add additional truck passing lanes onto U.S. Highway 431, ALDOT announced earlier in the month.
The work was awarded to Gary Ingram Grading and Paving Inc., in Dadeville, for $8.17 million. The contract calls for the company to complete the project within 170 days.
It will add approximately 2.4 mi. of additional lanes at two locations along U.S. 431, according to ALDOT.
The southern location, from Milepost 164.8 to MP 165.5, will provide a second lane for southbound traffic, while the northern section will provide a second northbound lane from MP 174.208 to approximately MP 174.8 and a second southbound lane from that point to just south of Chambers County Road 278.
Paving crews also are slated to add a leftturn lane for southbound traffic on U.S. 431 turning onto County Road 278, the state agency noted in a news release.
Additional work involves resurfacing as part of ALDOT’s annual maintenance program to upgrade older and deteriorating sections of roadway. Resurfacing will improve U.S. 431 from just south of County Road 93 to just north of County Road 229.
ALDOT photo
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New Terminal, Parking Garage Part of Airport Project
According to Wilson, community reaction to the new terminal has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People are excited about the modern, more convenient terminal,” he said. “The parking garage’s expanded capacity is also welcomed, as it will ease congestion and improve the travel experience.”
Construction challenges include administering the budget within a competitive market, while coordinating the aspects of the project. The scale and intricacy of the work require precise planning, detailed design and collaboration.
Crews are installing the garage’s vertical concrete columns and parking decks, as well as working on the passenger terminal access road, roof and curtain wall. Work on the taxiway and aircraft apron is also under way. Crews have recently completed the primary utility connections on Perimeter Road and reopened the road one week early.
Significant progress includes completing the steel framing for the terminal, pouring the concourse concrete slab and completing the first level of the parking garage ramp. Additionally, storm drain repairs and curb installations along the terminal’s main entrance have been finished.
“Remaining tasks include finishing the interior of the terminal, completing the parking garage structure and continuing civil work, such as the elevated roadway,” said Wilson. “The focus now is on drying in the terminal and completing the apron slab pours.”
Before work began, the site consisted of miscellaneous military-era structures and pavement. Significant site preparation was necessary, including demolition and grading. Five existing buildings had to be removed to clear space for the new terminal and parking garage.
Site work included both landside and airside elements. Significant underground utility improvements have been placed, including power, water, glass and drainage.
Fortunately for crews, there have been no major unexpected issues; however, Mobile’s weather, par-
“It’s
ticularly heavy rain, has affected some outdoor tasks.
“The recent snow event impacted site access,” said Wilson, “but once the terminal roof and curtain wall are in place, interior work will commence, reducing potential impacts.”
The parking garage will have five levels and includes 1,250 parking spaces. Key tasks completed so far include formwork for the second level and installing vertical con-
crete columns, driving piles and structural foundation work, primary utility feeds, metal work and concrete placement. The structure is said to be progressing well.
Essential machinery on the job includes heavy civil site equipment for excavating, as well as two tower cranes supporting the parking garage. The main materials being used are concrete, structural steel for the terminal and cast-inplace concrete for the parking garage.
As for shifting all commercial air service from Mobile Regional Airport (MOB) to Mobile International Airport (BFM), “The operation requires extensive planning and transition coordination between airlines, TSA and, most importantly, passengers,” said Wilson. “It’s a complex process.”
Wilson underscored how satisfying it is to be part of this major undertaking.
“It’s incredibly exciting to see the new terminal coming to life,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be part of such a significant transformation for Mobile and Baldwin counties, knowing that it will have a lasting positive impact on our region. It’s rewarding to see the progress, and to think about how this new facility will shape the future of air travel for years to come.”
(
CEG
All photos courtesy of Mobile Airport Authority.)
The $380 million effort includes building a new terminal and parking garage, as well as making associated infrastructure improvements that include utilities and civil work.
The scale and intricacy of the work require precise planning, detailed design and collaboration.
Construction challenges include administering the budget within a competitive market, while coordinating the aspects of the project.
AIRPORT from page 1
incredibly fulfilling to work on a project of this scale because it’s more than just building a terminal — it’s a game changer,” said Andy Wilson, executive director of Mobile Airport Authority.
T THROOTTLE UP E
