Hugh R. Thomas Bridge

Bridge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

33°12′51.86″N 87°34′25.5″W / 33.2144056°N 87.573750°W / 33.2144056; -87.573750Carries6 lanes of

US 43 / SR 69CrossesBlack Warrior RiverLocaleTuscaloosa, AlabamaMaintained byAlabama Department of TransportationCharacteristicsDesignGirder BridgeHistoryOpened1974StatisticsDaily traffic68,370 (2008)Location Map

The Hugh Rowe Thomas Bridge is a six-lane, girder bridge spanning the Black Warrior River along U.S. Route 43 and Alabama State Route 69, connecting downtown Tuscaloosa and Northport in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, that opened in 1974.^[1] The bridge is split in Tuscaloosa to accommodate two major, one-way thoroughfares (Lurleen Wallace Boulevard North and South), before joining heading towards Northport. It replaced a lift bridge that was built in 1922 and demolished in 1973.

As of 2008, the average daily traffic count for the bridge is approximately 68,400 vehicles.^[2] This is one of four vehicular bridges spanning the Black Warrior in Tuscaloosa. The KCS Railroad (formerly the M&O Railroad) trestle crosses the river nearby and is visible from the bridge.^[3]

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.^[4] Thomas was one of three children of famed University of Alabama football coach Frank Thomas and wife Frances Rowe.^[5]

References

^ Alabama Department of Archives & History. "ADAH: Tuscaloosa Historical Markers". Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
^ ISTEA. "ISTEA Reauthorization: Member Policy Initiatives and Requests for Highway & Transit Projects in the ISTEA Reauthorization". Retrieved December 6, 2006.
^ Slowe, Betty (August 31, 2010). "Railroad Trestle: Looking Back with Betty Slowe". lookingback.blogs.tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
^ "New Bridge Name Officially Thomas". The Tuscaloosa News. June 14, 1967. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
^ "Hughie Thomas' Lucky Hat". Remember the Rose Bowl. Retrieved March 18, 2013.