State Leaders to Host Town Halls About Buying Black Warrior Parkway Toll Bridge

Elected officials in West Alabama are organizing a series of town halls to seriously discuss the possibility of the state purchasing the Black Warrior Parkway Toll Bridge and allowing drivers to use it for free.

As the Thread reported last September, the idea comes from State Senator Gerald Allen, who is trying to rally support in Montgomery to purchase the toll bridge from American Roads, LLC., which is headquartered in Detroit but was purchased by a Dutch investment in 2018.

Get our free mobile app

The bridge links west Tuscaloosa to the city's airport and provides an alternative to its three sisters to the east - Lurleen Wallace Boulevard, McFarland Boulevard and the Paul Bryant Bridge.

Allen takes issue with the new foreign ownership of the bridge and recent rate increases for cars and trucks to use it. Allen says those fees could be stifling industrial investment in the area because they add cost to the easiest way for companies to get to the Tuscaloosa National Airport.

Why Not Here?

The move would not be unprecedented - Governor Kay Ivey saw the state purchase the Foley Beach Express Bridge in Orange Beach for almost $60 million last year and immediately make it free to use.

Allen's proposal drew widespread local support, with the Tuscaloosa City Council, Northport City Council, the county commission and the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce all voting to adopt resolutions formally backing the play.

Not much has been said about the matter since that flurry of activity last year, but now lawmakers are planning a series of town hall discussions to get the ball rolling again, starting with one next month at the Northport Civic Center.

Rep. Ron Bolton announced the event on social media Wednesday night. He told the Thread that the meeting is expected to feature representatives from the Alabama Department of Transportation and the governor's office.

"This will be the first of several prospective meetings designed to gather public input to use in developing a proposal to provide toll-free access to I-20/59 on the western side of Northport," Bolton wrote.

The meeting is planned for 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 12th at the Northport Civic Center at 3500 McFarland Boulevard.

For coverage of that discussion and more news about the push to purchase the bridge, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.