Alabama: Rising Seas Threaten US 90/98 Mobile Bay Crossing

[Brian556]

Looking at GSV, I see that water levels are very close to the roadway in several locations

Example #1:https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6765522,-87.9769515,3a,15y,343.05h,77.91t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sBltnQMLrPTxDes5Xf-RvRw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DBltnQMLrPTxDes5Xf-RvRw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D307.50107%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Example #2: Water unable to drain: https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6769002,-87.9838781,3a,16.6y,101.57h,91.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_XVstninl_NtC8p7-iIMkw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Example #3: This is the EB I-10 exit ramp to US 90/98:https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6788895,-87.9898619,3a,40.1y,347h,81.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIL_eZlL0ZilEQWkfRfOtEg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DIL_eZlL0ZilEQWkfRfOtEg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D57.866383%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Same area: https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6775273,-87.9883621,3a,15y,308.49h,88.23t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1spStbEsOlaqaLCGcO4paKLQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DpStbEsOlaqaLCGcO4paKLQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D343.86887%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

[Max Rockatansky]

Wasn't the shallow grade of US 90/98 over the water the reason I-10 was built on a viaduct structure long ago?  I can say from personal pbservations that US 90/98 has been like that for at least since the 1980s.

[sprjus4]

"Rising seas".

[Brian556]

Wasn't the shallow grade of US 90/98 over the water the reason I-10 was built on a viaduct structure long ago?  I can say from personal pbservations that US 90/98 has been like that for at least since the 1980s.

It seems crazy to me that they would build the highway that close to water level. According to sealevelrise.org, seas around Alabama have risen up to 11" since 1966, and that this is mostly due to subsidence. The standing water that is not draining is a tell-tale sign that the water level is higher than when the roadway was built

[Max Rockatansky]

Wasn't Battleship Parkway built in the 1920s?  Back in that era paved highways were just becoming a regular thing.  I would imagine had it been built even three-four decades later the standards would have been infinitely higher.

[Beltway]

Has USGS changed the published vertical navigational clearances on this bridge?

Small craft helmsmen need to be advised.

[Brian556]

Wasn't Battleship Parkway built in the 1920s?  Back in that era paved highways were just becoming a regular thing.  I would imagine had it been built even three-four decades later the standards would have been infinitely higher.

I don't know. I don't have much knowledge of Alabama roads. Historic Aerials shows it being a two-lane road in 1952, upgraded to four-lane by 1967. To me, it would have been logical to raise the roadway when it was widened

[NE2]

"Rising seas".

Yes, that's what he said.