2023 Mobile Ornament - Bankhead Tunnel

The opening of the Bankhead Tunnel in February 1941 aided the flow of traffic to and from Mobile and the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Extending from Government Street under the Mobile River to Blakeley Island, the tunnel was a technological marvel and unique in the South at that time: a highway inside a 30-feet-wide steel tube positioned 45 feet below the river's surface. The tunnel is 3,109 feet long, with just under one-third of its length positioned beneath the river. Construction of the project was a boost to the local economy, providing business to shipyards, iron foundries, and steel-fabrication shops as well as employment for about 1,000 men, who completed the project in just 22 months.

Since 1941, however, trucks have become taller, often exceeding the tunnel's 12 feet height clearance. Each year, dozens of trucks become lodged in the tunnel's mouth, after their drivers miss the warning signs (and hanging bars) with disastrous results, often causing severe damage to their truck and sometimes to the tunnel's entry. To help keep this from happening, the State of Alabama posts humorous messages on overhead electronic billboards including "Hey Truck - Don't Try Your Luck" and "Bankhead - Undefeated since 1941." Last year, they posted a Christmas version: "Kevin! It's 12 Ft, Ya Filthy Animal!" (a tribute to the film Home Alone)