This article is part of a daily series of MegaProjects articles. If you want to know more about PPP projects with a considerable size visit our MegaProjects section. You can receive them by email on a daily basis.

The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has announced the shortlist of qualified teams that will be invited to respond to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project. The project will involve constructing a new six-lane bridge across the Mobile River, in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama, USA.

As reported on this platform, in November 2017, four teams responded to ALDOT's Request for Qualifications. Having reviewed the responses, ALDOT have shortlisted these teams to move forward in the RFP process:

• I-10 Mobility Partners
  • Equity Members: Cintra and Meridiam
  • Lead Engineering Firm: Parsons
  • Lead Contractor: Ferrovial Argoman and Parsons
  • Lead Operations and Maintenance: Cintra and Meridiam
• Gulf Coast Connectors
  • Equity Members: ACS, Macquarie, Hochtief, and John Laing
  • Lead Engineering Firm: T.Y. LIN International
  • Lead Contractor: Dragados, Lane Construction and Flatiron
  • Lead Operations and Maintenance: Gulf Coast Connectors
• Mobile River Bridge Group
  • Equity Members: InfraRed Capital Partners, Shikun & Binui, Astaldi and Southland Holdings
  • Lead Engineering Firm: Figg Bridge Engineers
  • Lead Contractor: A Joint Venture of Astaldi, Johnson Bros and Shikun & Binui
  • Lead Operations and Maintenance: InfraRed Capital Partners (InfraRed Infrastructure V), Astaldi and Southland Holdings

The selected team will build the bridge, and then maintain it for the 55-year duration of the contract. The estimated total value is US$2 billion. This will be raised through revenues generated from electronic tolling, a public subsidy and equity from the concessionaire.

The bridge is intended to increase Interstate 10’s capacity and ultimately replace the existing four-lane Bayway with an eight-lane facility at an elevation above the 100-year storm surge event. The Wallace Tunnel currently averages 75,000 vehicles per day, reaching up to 100,000 vehicles during the peak tourism season. With almost double the daily traffic originally anticipated for the crossing, heavy congestion and longer travel times impact motorists, businesses, and the quality of life in the region.

Following an Industry Forum in August, ALDOT announced its intention to tender the project in September 2017. The authority released the RFQ a month later.

Proposals will be due this fall, with the selected team expected to be chosen by the end of the year.