Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline Restoration Project

The Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline Restoration Project is one of the largest and most significant investments in Alabama coastal restoration projects. It has been backed by Governor Kay Ivey and championed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, and Alabama Port Authority. The Project is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund and Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund.

The multi-year project will:

PROTECT

Dauphin Island’s only access road (evacuation route) from storm impacts and erosion.
Approximately 300 acres of salt marsh habitat to the west side of the Dauphin Island Causeway – many fish, shellfish, and native birds call this marsh home.

RESTORE

Tidal habitat.

REBUILD

Shoreline on the east side of the Dauphin Island Causeway from Bayfront Park to Cedar Point - approximately 3.3 miles - to 1917 locations.

Phase 1 (Figure 1) - Completed September 2024

Mobile County Commission, through grant funding, constructed segmented breakwaters along 3.5 miles of the Causeway. The northern segment spans from Bayfront Park to Jemison’s Bait Shop. The southern segment spans from Heron Bay Cutoff to Cedar Point. Temporary floatation access channels were required for equipment access (Figure 1). Side casted material for those access channels will degrade with time.

Phase 2 (Figure 2 & 3) - Completed October 2024– February 2026

The USACE Mobile District placed 900,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment between the breakwaters and the Dauphin Island Causeway, with material sourced from the Choctaw turning Basin. Sediment was transported via barge down the ship channel, and then pumped into the site through a pipeline. A sand berm was constructed immediately adjacent to the breakwaters to provide additional containment and mimic the natural sand ridges observed in native marsh of Mobile Bay (Figure 2). Marsh fill was pumped behind the sand berm (Figure 3).

Phase 3 (Figure 4) - to commence in Fall 2026–Spring 2027

The newly established marsh platform will then be enhanced into a more natural marsh habitat through creation of tidal creeks and planting of native marsh grasses. Gaps in the breakwaters will allow for tidal flow in and out of the restored marsh, providing a nursery habitat for species such as shrimp, crabs, fish, and birds. The site will take approximately 3-5 years for the vegetation to fully establish (Figure 4).

Learn More

Questions about this project can be submitted via email at DICshoreline@mobilecountyal.gov.

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