Jack Warner Bridge Repairs To Cause Lane Closures

Repair work on the Jack Warner Parkway Bridge was scheduled to start Wednesday, June 28.

The bridge, which runs over McFarland Blvd, will experience lane closures as part of the repair work.

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Previous reporting from the Tuscaloosa Thread stated that the bridge was damaged last September. The cause of damage was described to be "the load being carried by a truck traveling on the road beneath."

A release from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) stated that an initial inspection "revealed damage to the concrete and a girder." However, the damage "wasn't significant enough" to need immediate attention.

The ALDOT release says repair work "will continue for approximately three weeks." Although original reports had the repair work scheduled to start May 30th, it was delayed to the end of June.

Amanda Deem, media contact for ALDOT, revealed the delay was due to "an emergency issue" that took place during the "heat straightening element of the project."

Deem noted that heat straightening is a specialized trade and "only a few companies in the whole country" can do it. Since this heat straightening must take place before the rest of the project, the repair work was delayed.

The work will shut down the eastbound acceleration lane on the bridge "for the entirety of the project," said the release. US-82 lane closures near the bridge were noted to only take place between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Updates on repair work and traffic conditions can be found by staying connected with the Tuscaloosa Thread.

This story was updated to include information on why the repair work was delayed.