Bridge on Grants Mill Road will open after 1 1/2 years of detours

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama 

The Birmingham News/Linda Stelter

The bridge on Grants Mill Road linking Birmingham, two counties and multiple cities will reopen Tuesday, ending more than a year and a half of detours, speculation and frustration from thousands of motorists.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the bridge was among the first issues he was confronted with by anxious commuters after taking office in January 2010.
"We maintained all along that we could do that, given the time to do it," Bell said. "Various people put pressure on us to rush the process. I had one council member berating me about it from the minute I was sworn in, and we received all kinds of letters of complaint about the bridge not being replaced, as if we could do it overnight."
The 74-year-old bridge across Lake Purdy in eastern Jefferson County was ordered closed in December 2009 because the city could not enforce weight restrictions. About 8,000 vehicles used the bridge daily, in many cases to reach Interstate 459 and avoid U.S. 280. Drivers were forced to detour six miles around the closed bridge.
Councilwoman Kim Rafferty, whose district includes the bridge, was a frequent critic of the city's actions regarding the bridge.
"The bridge broke," she said. "We weren't maintaining it. We needed to replace it."
Rafferty agreed with Bell in calling the new bridge an attractive structure with a rustic look that will blend well with its surroundings.
"It is a beautiful bridge," she said. "It's going to have a big impact on the folks who live out there and commute every day. They will be greatly relieved."

There were several concepts for the project, including a partnership among Birmingham, Shelby County and Jefferson County and even a short-lived proposal from Bell to reopen the structure as a toll bridge to pay for the replacement. In the end the city completed the project on its own -- and without a toll booth.
Bell quipped that he wasn't sure what happened to the city's partners in the two counties the bridge serves.
"The only government entity that has kept its commitment has been the city of Birmingham," he said.
Andre Bittas, Birmingham's director of planning, engineering and permits, said the opening is set for Tuesday at 3 p.m. Crews completed striping Friday, he said.
The city in January awarded Bob Smith Construction a $1.06 million contract to replace the bridge. The project included widening the street from 18 to 24 feet, creating two 12-foot travel lanes.
Bittas said he's glad to have good news about the project. "I get phone calls all the time about the bridge status," he said.