Line of Local Leaders Advocate Buying Tuscaloosa Toll Bridge – Or Building a New One

A steady stream of local leaders were at Northport City Hall Thursday to advocate for the state of Alabama buying the Black Warrior Parkway toll bridge and making it free to use - or else building a new bridge and rendering the paid one obsolete.

The idea is not new—as the Thread reported in September, State Senator Gerald Allen has been rallying support for it for almost a year, and Allen was on hand Thursday to say the concept is even older than that.

'Back in 2010, when I was still a House member, I introduced a House Resolution asking the city and county leaders to be engaged in looking into the possibility of purchasing the toll bridge," Allen said. "So this is not a new story to me at all. We're looking at an issue that's very critical to the future of Tuscaloosa and West Alabama."

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So what's the story behind the toll bridge in the first place? Who owns it, and why are local leaders talking about trying to buy it? Alabama House Rep. Ron Bolton organized the Thursday meeting and laid it out for a packed house of attendees.

"Back in the mid-90's, there was a decision made to try to build a bridge across the river to the west side of Northport and try to take some of the traffic out of Northport, and it worked to some degree," Bolton said. "It was built in 1998 by United Toll Systems, which was at that time owned by a gentleman by the name of Jim Allen."

While private money built the bridge, Bolton said Tuscaloosa County built Joe Mellisham Parkway, Boone Boulevard and Rose Boulevard out to meet it and the Alabama Department of Transportation spent over $20 million on the Exit 78 interchange connecting I-20/59 to the project.

"In 2006, United Toll Systems sold the bridge to a company called American Roads, who kept it and in 2011, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy," Bolton said. "What happened is their insurance company came in, took possession of it, and in 2018, they eventually sold it to a Dutch company, out of Denmark. The operations for the bridge are headquartered in Canada, but the holding company is Dutch. So what we're looking at is, whatever tolls y'all are paying going across the bridge, everything is going straight to another country."

Now, Bolton in the House and Allen in the Senate are working both locally and in Montgomery to either buy the bridge or build a new, toll-free one with public money.

The idea is still in its infancy, Bolton admitted.

"The lady who's the CEO of American Roads took time to fly down and tell me, Senator Allen and all the rest of us that the bridge is not for sale. But you know, we've all been told things like that before," Bolton said. "We just have to put a proposal together and start working. But I don't want anybody leaving here thinking that I've got my checkbook in the back pocket and I'm headed out there to buy it."

If Bolton and Allen's Thursday meeting proved one thing, though, it was that the Tuscaloosa community is firmly behind their idea. They successfully convened a long line of elected officials and business leaders to voice support for this nascent proposal.

Justice Smyth, Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority

"This is a matter that is obviously of great importance to a number of people in the community and to the future of Tuscaloosa County's economy, infrastructure and the day-to-day experience of those who live and work here," Smyth said. "I believe this is something that is not simply a matter of convenience, but also a matter of long-term economic competitiveness for our community."

Extensive planning is underway for expanding the Tuscaloosa National Airport and the bridge in question links the airport back out to the interstate. Smyth said eliminating tolls there could be a piece of a larger puzzle.

"One of the most promising outcomes of this planning is the potential for a multimodal facility that integrates road, rail, air, and water transportation all on a single site. These facilities are incredibly rare," he said. "Having one here would significantly enhance Tuscaloosa County's position in recruiting major employers and improving supply chain efficiencies for existing firms. Now, I'll be the first to admit that this idea is ambitious, but our goal is pretty clear, and that is to create a world-class industrial hub that draws new employers, creates high-quality jobs, and diversifies our economy for many years to come."

"The toll poses a burden not just financially, but in terms of future growth of the area," Smyth said. "When a toll exists at such a vital access point, it can become a fatal flaw in the recruitment process, one that pushes development elsewhere. It also sends the wrong message, creating friction where we need flow. It is a significant, avoidable barrier for development."

 Lee Bailey, Vice President at McAbee Construction

"Part of our property is adjacent to the existing bridge, and there are many industries and businesses right in our immediate area," Bailey said. "Just looking through some numbers, approximately 85 of our employees live in the Northport area or west, in Gordo and other areas. They are coming across and utilizing this bridge every day to the tune of probably about $1,000 a year worth in tolls."

"Since 2006, when the ownership of this bridge first changed hands, we have spent over $350,000 in tolls on that bridge alone," Bailey said. "And there are many other businesses nearby that are experiencing similar expenses and some probably a lot more than we are. But the real toll is on the community, our employees, and the employees of the other businesses there."

David Pass, Partner at the Sealy Companies

"This really could be a win-win for everybody, including the owner of the bridge. I'm in real estate, and if somebody came and told me they would pay somewhere near fair-market value for something that I've got that's 30 years old, that I've already profited from, and I can exchange that and deploy that capital into something new. There's something in that for me."

Joe Eatmon, Tuscaloosa City Councilman

I represent a district that is hungry for jobs and I think this creates jobs. You know, I represent a district that's hungry for economic development and this opens up opportunities for them. So I think this the purchase of this project is important for my district because it creates hope, it gives hope and creates opportunity for my district. So I just want to thank everybody for their efforts. Thank you for being here tonight and hopefully we can get this done.

There were many, many other speakers there Thursday to express the same sentiment, including Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Rob Robertson, most of the Northport City Council, multiple Tuscaloosa County Commissioners, Chamber CEO Kyle South, legislators AJ McCampbell, Brian Brinyark and Curtis Travis, and local farmer Grady Bobo.

Everyone was marching to the beat of the same drum - they want to see the state find a way to purchase that bridge or fund the construction of a new, free one.

Whether the pitch finds favor in Montgomery or Denmark is yet to be seen, but the West Alabama community firmly showed up to support it Thursday.

For more coverage of the issue as it develops, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.