City of Mobile approves $17M contract to overhaul St. Louis Street
Aug 1st, 2025
Posted in: Press ReleaseCommunication & External AffairsMayorExternal and Community AffairsMap For MobileCommunicationsCommunity Affairs
Mobile, Ala. — Work will soon begin to completely rebuild all 17 blocks of St. Louis Street, a growing area for entertainment and commerce in historic downtown Mobile.
This roughly $17 million “Complete Streets” project will make St. Louis Street safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. In addition to paving, the project will also include new curbs, gutters, sidewalks, ADA ramps, drainage features, improved lighting and landscaping, and completely rebuilt underground utilities. Alabama Power and other providers will also be moving overhead powerlines off St. Louis Street to create additional pedestrian space and improve sightlines.
Over the last 15 years, St. Louis Street has transformed from an area marked by abandoned buildings to a bustling business corridor with a growing number of offices, businesses, restaurants, local breweries, and retail spaces. To support future economic development, the City of Mobile is using federal grant funds to improve pedestrian safety and replace aging infrastructure along the corridor.
“Since its initial design phases, this project has focused on making St. Louis Street safer and more accessible for the pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists that are already using it every day,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “This project will complement the millions of dollars that the private sector has already invested along St. Louis Street, and we are taking great care to minimize the disruptions this project will have on the many businesses located along the corridor.”
On Tuesday, July 29, the Mobile City Council approved a $16.7 million construction contract with McElheny Construction Company for the work on St. Louis Street. Funding for the project includes $10.7 million from the RESTORE Act and $2.6 million from the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) is providing $4.2 million for infrastructure improvements, and the City of Mobile is contributing an additional $665,000 in matching funds toward the project.
Construction is expected to begin this fall, pending final contract approval from the U.S. Treasury Department. The timeline is roughly two and a half years, but City of Mobile staff and the contractor are making great efforts to minimize the impact to businesses along St. Louis Street — including using a block-by-block construction plan to keep a majority of the roadway open throughout the project.
This effort is funded, in part, with federal funding from the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). Additional funding was provided by the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS), and the City of Mobile.
For more information on the project, visit mapformobile.org/stlouisstreet/.