Project to Replace Northport Bridge “Substantially Complete,” Road Reopen

A road in Northport is open to traffic again after it was closed for more than a year to replace an aging bridge, completing the first phase of an effort to significantly upgrade Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

A portion of the street was closed in late 2023 for the replacement of the 44-year-old bridge over Two Mile Creek in Northport, which 8,000 vehicles were crossing over daily, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

Although the project took a little longer than an early-estimation timeline of 280 days, the bridge has been fully replaced and MLK Boulevard reopened to the public the week before Christmas.

Get our free mobile app

"The bridge and bridge approach project is substantially complete and open to traffic as of December 19th," Northport's assistant city engineer Brad Matthews told elected officials Monday.

That's good news for motorists who rely on the route, and Phase 2 of the MLK Boulevard upgrades is still to come.

"The second phase is the roadway reconstruction project that will go from Snows Mill Avenue all the way back to Bridge Avenue and it will be sidewalks, lighting and a complete reconstruction of the roadway," City Engineer Tera Tubbs said back in 2023.

The right-of-way acquisition for that phase of the project is complete, and the contract to perform it has been awarded, but Matthews told the city council Monday that some preliminary work still must be finished before the rest of the upgrades can begin in earnest.

"The roadway project has been awarded by ALDOT, GFC is under contract on that but the work you see going on right now is still the utility relocations which are ongoing with that project," Matthews said. "GFC can't really get started in earnest until some more utilities are out of the way."

For updates on the project as it continues and other news from west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.