The Bankhead Tunnel
In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented a nationwide series of programs called the “New Deal” in order to combat the economic effects of the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration, established as a result of New Deal initiatives, allowed men in Mobile, Alabama, to participate in government-funded construction efforts, including well-known projects such as the erection of the federal courthouse on St. Joseph Street and efforts to improve aesthetics in Bienville Square.
But Mobile’s most ambitious New Deal project was the construction of a tunnel under the Mobile River.
The tunnel, which connected downtown Mobile with Blakeley Island, was an effort to shave off over seven miles of the commute between Mobile and the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Construction began in 1938. Over a period of just over two years, seven individual tube-shaped sections were constructed by the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company. After being built on land, each section was then floated down the river, sunk into place, and connected. The Bankhead Tunnel was completed and opened to the public on February 20, 1941.
The Tunnel is named after John H. Bankhead, an Alabama native who served in Congress for over 30 years and was the grandfather of famed actress Tallulah Bankhead. A 25-cent toll was charged to use the Tunnel until 1973 in an effort to help recoup the costs associated with its construction. On the day of its grand opening, pedestrians were allowed to pass through the Bankhead Tunnel without a vehicle, but the Tunnel has since allowed only vehicles to pass through (though in recent years, the Alabama Department of Transportation, or ALDOT, has hosted an annual event called “Bike and Ped the Bankhead” which allows pedestrians to walk, jog, or ride bicycles through the Bankhead for a couple of hours—while being closed off to motorists, of course).
According to ALDOT, in 2023, an average of 246,412 vehicles accessed the Tunnel each month. While the Bankhead Tunnel has been and continues to be a convenient thoroughfare for thousands of people each day, the interior size of the Tunnel limits who can access it. Only passenger cars and small trucks can pass through the Tunnel. Oversize/overweight vehicles cannot use the Tunnel, as its clearance is only 12 feet. (most commercial vehicles exceed 13 feet in height). A Class-C Recreational Vehicle (RV) can typically scrape under—unless an air-conditioning unit sits atop the RV’s roof.
