The state has hired a contractor for the bridge that most of North of the River uses to get anywhere south of the Black Warrior, and work is still months away. On October 14, the Alabama Department of Transportation awarded a $167 million contract to Scott Bridge Company to replace the Woolsey Finnell Bridge and widen McFarland Boulevard. The company was the lowest of three bidders. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027 and could take up to four years.
The stretch with the most new lanes, the intersection getting the most rebuilt turns, and the first way to walk across the river on McFarland are all at the north end, from Rice Mine Road to Jack Warner Parkway. Of everyone who uses this corridor, people who live North of the River are getting the most rebuilt.
Nothing changes on the commute this fall
The award doesn't touch this season's traffic. ALDOT's announcement puts the start of construction in early 2027 and says detailed construction schedules, traffic impacts, and public outreach will be announced as the project moves along. For now, the crossing works the way it always has, with four lanes over the water. Those lanes now carry about 50,000 vehicles a day, by ALDOT's estimate.
Governor Kay Ivey described that traffic in plain terms in the ALDOT announcement:
"For too long, folks crossing the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa have experienced their own 'rammer jammer' rush hour traffic while trying to negotiate the aging four lane Woolsey Finnell Bridge."
A large share of the money was already in place before the bids came in. ALDOT credits former Senator Richard Shelby with securing a $100 million earmark in the 2023 federal omnibus spending bill. Against the $167 million contract, that covers well over half the cost. The Tuscaloosa News reported the award on October 16.
The widest part of the project starts at Rice Mine Road
The whole job covers about 1.5 miles of McFarland, from near Rice Mine Road to the University Boulevard interchange ramps. According to Upgrade McFarland, ALDOT's project site, the boulevard goes from four lanes to six along the corridor and to eight lanes between Rice Mine Road and Jack Warner Parkway. The bridge itself sits inside that eight-lane stretch, and the project site describes it going from four lanes to eight.
The two official descriptions use different numbers. Governor Ivey's announcement calls the new crossing "a modern six through-traffic lane bridge." The project site's lane counts are higher. Neither source says how they fit together, so the six-lane and eight-lane figures are best read as the state's own two descriptions until ALDOT publishes more detailed drawings.
Either way, the most new capacity goes to the stretch between the north bank and the river. ALDOT lists these changes for the Rice Mine Road intersection:
- A new free-flow right-turn lane from Rice Mine Road onto eastbound McFarland.
- A dedicated lane for westbound McFarland traffic exiting to Rice Mine Road.
- A new eastbound right-turn lane onto Rice Mine Road.
- Some driveway entrances consolidated to reduce conflict points.
- Updated lane striping on Rice Mine Road itself.
- The barrier-separated shared-use path carried through the intersection.
Item four matters for anyone running errands along that stretch. Consolidating driveways means some of the current ways into businesses near the intersection will change. Project FAQs say businesses will stay open to employees, customers, and deliveries during construction. The project materials don't yet say which entrances are being combined.
On the water, and under it
The bridge work isn't only about cars. The improvements page says the new bridge will have a wider main navigation channel to give commercial barges more clearance. So the replacement is meant to serve both the traffic on the Black Warrior and the traffic above it.
Below the bridge, ALDOT says utilities that cross the river should see minimal disruption during construction. The project FAQ also says access to hospitals, medical facilities, and emergency services will be maintained throughout, with clearly marked routes.
A way to walk across the river on McFarland
The project FAQ is direct about the current situation: "Along McFarland/US-82 there is currently no pedestrian access." North of the River residents within sight of the University have had no way to walk or bike across on this corridor.
The new bridge adds a barrier-separated, 10-foot shared-use path across the river. The plans also add crosswalks at Rice Mine Road and continue the path through that intersection. On the south bank, the path reaches Jack Warner Parkway. For a household off Rice Mine Road, that's the first route on McFarland that ends near the river trail system without needing a car.
How far the path reaches depends on the city. ALDOT says the Jack Warner Parkway section will connect to a Riverwalk extension planned by the City of Tuscaloosa, and the FAQ says more connections will come "when that project is completed." On the north side, the city's Elevate Tuscaloosa program still lists Northern Riverwalk Phase 2 among its active projects. Its stated scope is to extend the Riverwalk from McWright's Ferry Road to Randall Family Park and Trailhead. The project page gives an estimated cost of $11.7 million and no completion date. The bridge path has a contractor and a start window. The trail links that would extend it on either bank are still on the city's list.
What the next four years are set up to protect
ALDOT has made a few firm commitments about how construction will run, even before the phasing is published:
- Lanes: two lanes open in each direction on US-82 for the entire project, with work zone speed limits enforced.
- Game days: the contractor won't be allowed to work on Saturdays when the University of Alabama has a home football game.
- Campus Drive path: the pedestrian route along Campus Drive under McFarland stays open during construction.
- Traffic patterns: ALDOT says to expect changing traffic patterns throughout construction.
South of the river, the Julia Tutwiler Drive and Campus Drive interchange gets relocated ramps, a westbound exit ramp with gentler curves, a Campus Drive widened to three lanes, and a rebuilt McFarland overpass. At University Boulevard, the plans add a free-flow westbound entrance ramp and a dedicated eastbound exit lane. North of the River drivers headed to campus or downtown via McFarland will go through all of it after first crossing the Rice Mine Road intersection, which is where the plans add the most.
Lane closures and major updates will be posted on Upgrade McFarland, the project's site, and shared through ALDOT's ALGO Traffic system, Google Maps, Waze, local news outlets, and the project's social media channels. The site also offers project alert sign-ups. Questions can go to ALDOT's West Central Region office at 1100 Julia Tutwiler Drive, by phone at 205-562-3099, or by email at [email protected].
If you live off Rice Mine Road and want to talk through what a four-year rebuild of your main river crossing could mean for your plans, the team at Caitlin Tubbs Wilson is happy to walk through it with you, calmly and with the project timeline in front of us.
