A council member told the Mobile City Council at its July 15 pre-meeting that Alabama Department of Transportation contractors have begun concrete pile test work related to the planned Mobile River Bridge and that nearby property owners are receiving right-of-entry letters from ALDOT.

The council member said the test piles are appearing on the west side of I‑10 about 100 yards south of Charleston Street and near Virginia Street, and that at least one test location is downtown near the former Southern Market. "These are letters of right of entry to view your property, to view the current condition of the property to make sure that they document it in case there is some type of claim from vibration of pile driving and those types of things," the council member said.

The speaker emphasized the letters are for documentation and not for condemnation: "There is no letter of condemnation or friendly condemnation or or taking way of any property that these letters are are requesting or or anything like that. This is just simply to document your property to make sure that there's no damage done to your property." The council member said they had asked for route layouts, elevation marks and renderings so downtown residents can see the bridge alignment and visuals.

The council member described the bridge profile as rising from Virginia Street and noted that when the structure clears the second or third pile it will be on the east side of I‑10 "over the jail at a height of about a 100 feet." The speaker said the start date for full construction was "not known yet" and characterized the recent activity as pre‑construction testing to determine soil capacity.

Council members did not vote on project approvals during the pre‑meeting. The report was delivered as an informational update and the council member asked the administration to help gather the ALDOT materials so they can be shared with affected residents.

The bridge project, pre‑construction tests and ALDOT documentation steps were the primary matters raised in this portion of the pre‑meeting; no final city action on property acquisition or construction scheduling was recorded in the transcript provided.

Why it matters: The testing and right‑of‑entry letters signal early site work that could affect downtown and I‑10 adjacent properties. Residents may receive ALDOT communications and can expect documentation visits related to vibration and potential damage claims.