Inside look at GulfQuest Museum's construction

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile’s National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico is still more than a year from completion, but Tuesday, developers showed off their progress on the $50 million facility. Because the museum will be located on the west bank of the Mobile River, engineers have had to meet many unique challenges.

“The railway on one side, the river on one side, the logistical challenges of coordinating the work with your surrounding areas,” explained Senior Project Manager, James Adams.

Standing three stories high, the concrete structure will also have a 17 foot basement on the south end. One of the biggest challenges on a project like this is building so close to the water. The structure will have 860 pilings in the ground to keep it from moving either up or down.

There is also a massive retaining wall and pump system in place to keep the water out. The pumps will run around the clock. As incredible as the engineering is on the structure, the museum itself is a spectacular design. The 90,000 square-foot facility takes on the design of a ship and will house 90 interactive exhibits.

“This is very dynamic,” said the museum’s Executive Director, Tony Zodrow. “It’s really more of an educational center in which you’re going to be able to come in and experience things and not just look at them behind glass.”

The name, “National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico,” is a mouthful. That’s why developers will market it as “Gulf Quest.” Whatever you choose to call the museum, it’s destined to be a landmark on the Gulf coast.

If everything stays on schedule, the museum will be open for visitors by the fall of 2012 with exhibits that will focus on everything from ports across the Gulf to recreation and history.

The overall price tag for the museum is $50 million. Of that, the City of Mobile will put up $38 million for the building, and the museum board will raise the other $12 million to furnish the exhibits.

Fore more information, visit the museum's website here .