For more than 20 years, Mobile, Alabama, hosted RV City for its annual Mardi Gras bash. RV City was an encampment in the downtown area, under an Interstate 10 bridge. The party is over—RV City is now just a memory.
Mardi Gras “villain” is State of Alabama
The “villain” in this Mardi Gras play is the State of Alabama, which owns the area under the bridge. “Our negotiation with ALDOT, they informed us they would no longer allow RV City to be in that area,” City of Mobile Executive Director of Administrative Services Joe Snowden said.
The negotiations have been going on since 2020, but ALDOT—the state’s transportation department—says it has other plans for the site. First, it’ll use the land for a construction zone and, later, convert it to a parking lot for cruise ship customers.
Used to be $450; now likely to be a lot more
Mardi Gras RV City used to accommodate 115 RVs, whose owners would fork over $450 for the seasonal rent. RV City coordinator Peggy Jimenez thinks finding alternative spots will cost RVers a whole lot more. “They rent it by the day, by how many spots the camper actually takes up and some camper areas are going for over $2,000,” Jimenez told wkrg.com, an area media outlet.
At this point, Mobile officials have no plans to set up an alternative to the now-defunct Mardi Gras RV City.
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It was probably turning into a homeless encampment.
Tommy. It was never a homeless encampment and is not now. It has been a part of the Mobile Mardi Gras celebration. Sites were marked out and fire lanes established for emergency vehicles. It was a family friendly way for self contained RVers to enjoy the festivities. There is a new I10 bridge planned for over the Mobile River to supplement the aging tunnel system and unfortunately ALDOT needs the area for construction staging. Sorry to see it go.
My haven’t our great country sunk.
I have never attended the event, yet it is likely best not to park any vehicle under a freeway. There have been a few fires due to vehicles parked or stored under freeways that caught fire and damaged the roadway above. Both costly to repair and inconvenient to motorists who may be detoured until the roadway can be repaired. Possibly a fairground could serve the same purpose.
Yep, see L.A. ,Cal. under the I-10 freeway 😬
Thank you, Russ and Tina! After reading this story a line from a joni Mitchell song came to mind, “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.” Oh well, what is the Dr. Suess line? “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”