With billions of dollars and decades of potential tolling authority at stake, the Alabama Department of Transportation is refusing to release traffic data coll
With billions of dollars and decades of potential tolling authority at stake, the Alabama Department of Transportation is refusing to release traffic data collected from newly installed devices along the Interstate 10 Bayway — even as it routinely publishes traffic counts from hundreds of other locations statewide.
ALDOT has denied NBC 15’s request for traffic data collected from devices installed in December 2024 along the Interstate 10 Bayway, even as the agencyThe devices, installed as part of ongoing research tied to the proposed Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project, are gathering detailed traffic information--tag information, state registration, direction of travel, time of day-- that could shape toll rates, revenue projections and long-term financial feasibility for one of the largest infrastructure projects in state history.In a Dec. 2 letter, the department said the data is still being collected and used to develop its toll policy and program for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project. Because the traffic and revenue study has not been finalized, ALDOT asserted the information is protected under “deliberative privilege” and not subject to public release at this time. “To date, the data has not been shared externally, and the traffic and revenue study has not been finalized,” Assistant Counsel Kaasha Griffin wrote in the response. The letter states that all data collected as part of the effort “remains subject to deliberative privilege and therefore not available for inspection and/or copying at this time” . ALDOT advised that a new request could be submitted in the future and directed the public to the project’s website for other available records. On Tuesday, March 3rd, NBC 15 submitted another request for the data. The denial stands in contrast to ALDOT’s broader public data practices. The department maintains an online Traffic Data Management System that provides access to traffic counts from hundreds of monitoring sites statewide, allowing the public to review vehicle volumes and trends.The I-10 Bayway is central to long-running debates over the proposed bridge replacement and whether drivers will face tolls to cross Mobile Bay. Previous toll proposals sparked widespread public opposition and were ultimately shelved before being revived in revised forms. Transportation agencies often rely on traffic and revenue studies to determine toll feasibility, pricing structures and long-term financial projections. Those studies typically depend on accurate vehicle counts and travel pattern analysis — the type of data now being collected along the Bayway. Open government advocates have argued that raw data generated with public funds is presumptively public under Alabama law unless a specific exemption applies. Alabama’s Open Records Act does not explicitly define “deliberative privilege,” but state agencies have cited it in the past to withhold pre-decisional materials. ALDOT’s response suggests the agency views the Bayway traffic data not as routine counts, but as part of an internal policy-making process tied directly to toll development. Traffic volume projections directly influence whether tolls are deemed necessary, how much drivers could pay and how long tolling might continue. The department did not indicate when the traffic and revenue study would be finalized or when the underlying data might become available. For now, drivers crossing Mobile Bay can see the devices mounted overhead, capturing information about passing vehicles. But the data that could help determine whether they will pay to cross the Bayway — and how much — remains out of view.Drones dropping drugs and cell phones into Alabama’s state prisons have become a growing and dangerous problem — and lawmakers say prisons need more authority tAlabama State Representative Napoleon Bracy, Jr. is suing his former employer, Austal, for racial discrimination.Bracy worked for Austal from May of 2013 untilAccording to the University of South Alabama at a approximately 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, an unaffiliated male entered a University residence hall through a stud"I didn't think that Mobile was like this."The young mom wasn't confident in sharing her name, but she would share her story.She and her children recently moveCoast Guard Sector Mobile reports they received a report of an overdue 22 foot May Craft. The vessel was last heard from Monday at 3 p.m. local time, north of D
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