Hugh R. Thomas Bridge

Bridge.JPG

Title

Hugh R. Thomas Bridge

Subject

Bridges
Thomas, Hugh Rowe, 1934 -1967

Description

The Hugh R. Thomas Bridge is a six-lane girder bridge that spans the Black Warrior River between Tuscaloosa and Northport. The bridge is part of both U.S. Route 43 and Alabama State Route 69.

By the mid-1960s the old drawbridge that was built in 1922 was in need of repair.  It was closed several times for temporary repairs, frustrating motorists who were trying to get across the river.  

Work began in late 1968 on t
he new bridge which opened to traffic Dec. 17, 1973, at a cost of $7 million.  The drawbridge was destroyed after the new bridge was completed as the U.S. Coast Guard which had issued the permit for construction of the new bridge had stipulated that the old bridge be removed within 90 days of the opening of the new bridge.

The bridge was named in honor of Alabama State Representative Hugh Rowe Thomas who was killed in a car wreck in April 1967 while traveling to Montgomery for a special session. He had been elected in 1966 and was just 33 years old.

Creator

Elizabeth Bradt

Source

Elizabeth Bradt

Date

October 2019

Contributor

Elizabeth Bradt (Description)

Type

Photograph

Identifier

2544

Coverage

Tuscaloosa County (AL)

Original Format

Photograph