Why does mobile al have a tunnel

Once upon a time, Mobile had a pink stripe painted down many of its azalea-lined roadways, thanks to the Azalea Trail, which was started by the group now known as the Mobile Jaycees in to plant azaleas on major thoroughfares and to encourage residents to plant them at their own homes. In , the Azalea Trail opened, following a mile path that started at Bienville Square. By the s, the stripe, followed by so many people on driving tours to see the azaleas, was outlawed because Government Street was a state highway, according to the Mobile Jaycees Chapter Secretary Cheryl Stewart.

The 37th annual event takes place on March Why do girls wear antebellum dresses? All girls don't wear them. The girls in the pastel dresses are our Azalea Trail Maids, who represent the city as gracious ambassadors at all sorts of events.

They're high school seniors who are outstanding students, and whose parents pay a lot of money to have those dresses and accompanying accessories made. They even wear old-fashioned pantaloons underneath. Have you ever seen the Crichton leprechaun? No, most people haven't. The leprechaun story took off after Local 15 News did a story in , in which several Crichton residents claimed to see it in a tree, and the video went viral, spawning all kinds of parodies revolving around the "special leprechaun flute," the amateur sketch and phrases like "I wanna know, where da gold at?

What's so great about a Dew Drop hot dog? But in , when the Theodore Ship Channel was dredged, it cut right through the thoroughfare. Rather than build a high-rise bridge to connect the two sides of the parkway, a detour takes motorists around the channel on a circuitous route. Airport Boulevard: Why? We hate it as much as you visitors do. And we wonder, as you must, why everything new must be built on Airport Boulevard. The traffic is a nightmare, the lights are never in sync, the service roads are confusing and fraught with danger.

AP — Trucking officials are unhappy after the Alabama Department of Transportation moved with little notice to divert trucks from the Interstate 10 tunnel in Mobile. The state announced Thursday that trucks had to detour from noon to 6 p. Thursday and Friday to try reduce traffic on I before the July 4 holiday. Traffic commonly backs up for miles on I through Mobile as tourists make their way to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches.

The Bankhead Tunnel consists of seven sections two sections of feet each and five sections of feet each. When completed, the tubes were floated down river and sunk into place. At the time it opened, the Bankhead Tunnel was an engineering marvel. Its completion made news around the country. I say this because the Gulf Coast is a cheap and easy beach getaway for many in our area. Even if you haven't vacationed in Gulf Shores, Destin, or any of the popular beaches along the Gulf stretch, chances are you've traveled through Mobile.

And if you've traveled through Mobile, you've definitely driven through the tunnel. It's a pretty unforgettable experience since you are literally driving underwater in a huge white tube with lights all the way through.

Now, the interesting part is that there are actually TWO tunnels.