Mobile Skyline At Night. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now) — The Mobile skyline at night. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

It’s a brand-new year, and Mobile’s brand-new mayor is looking forward to the completion of several major projects in 2026! In a New Year’s Eve newsletter from the City of Mobile, Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis shared several projects he’s keeping an eye on. Read on to learn more about those projects and when we can expect them to be completed.

1. Mobile International Airport at Brookley Aeroplex

Construction Continues On The New Airport.(Mobile Airport Authority) — Construction continues on Mobile’s new airport. (Mobile Airport Authority)

The Mobile Airport Authority (MAA) is building a brand-new, modern terminal at the Mobile International Airport (formerly the Mobile Downtown Airport) to relocate commercial flights from the Mobile Regional Airport (MRA) to a central, convenient location downtown. According to a press release from the MAA, the new terminal is expected to open in Fall 2026, with the first flight anticipated by November.

2. Africatown Welcome Center

Rendings Of The New Welcome Center. (City Of Mobile) — Rendings of the new welcome center. (City of Mobile)

In May 2025, city and community leaders gathered in the historic community of Africatown to celebrate the official groundbreaking of a new, $5.1 million welcome center. Once complete, the new center will honor the legacy of Africatown and the story of the Clotilda, while also serving as a community center and educational experience for visitors.

The project is expected to be completed in 2026.

3. Cooper Riverside Park

Cooper Riverside Park Entrance. — Cooper Riverside Park entrance. Photo by Liv George for The Bama Buzz.

Despite being a port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, the city of Mobile only has one public waterfront park: Cooper Riverside Park. To help address the aging wharf, bulkhead and underground infrastructure in the Park, the City of Mobile is completely rebuilding the downtown waterfront park with:

Roughly 460 feet of new bulkhead
Updating sidewalks
Improving lighting

The city expects the Cooper Riverside Park improvements to be complete by the Summer of 2026.

4. Mobile Arena

A Rendering Of The New City Civic Center. (City Of Mobile) — A rendering of the new city civic center. (City of Mobile)

In 2025, the City of Mobile officially broke ground on a $300 million arena project on the site of the aging Mobile Civic Center. According to the City of Mobile, the Arena will include:

Retail spaces
Luxury suites
VIP clubs
Premium seating, great sightlines and dynamic acoustics
Multiple ballrooms

Once complete, the new Mobile Arena will be able to accommodate a wide range of events—including top-billed entertainment that could not be accommodated in the former Civic Center.

5. New community centers at Taylor Park + Dauphin Island Parkway

The City of Mobile is both improving existing community centers and building new ones in 2026. In November, the Mobile City Council approved a $6 million contract for a major makeover to the Taylor Park Recreational Center. Meanwhile, the City is constructing a new community center along Dauphin Island Parkway.

And that’s not all—the City of Mobile is also focusing on improving its critical infrastructure, including stormwater and drainage systems and fixing roads.

“Over the next 12 months, you’ll see us invest more than $17 million into the largest standalone resurfacing package in the history of the city — funding improvements to more than 230 roads across all seven City Council districts. That’s in addition to our ongoing Complete Streets projects on St. Louis Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., and future phases of the Broad Street project that will also be moving forward in 2026.”
Spiro Cheriogotis, Mayor, City of Mobile

Which of these projects are you most excited to see in 2026? Follow The Bama Buzz on Facebook, TikTok + Instagram, and sign up for our FREE newsletter to stay in the loop on this!