UA Engineers Instrumental in Moving Historic Black Warrior River Bridge to Northport

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The only existing span of the 125-year-old Black Warrior Bridge will soon be moved from its current location in the north part of Tuscaloosa County to downtown Northport. Once it is moved, the bridge will be part of a recreational walking trail near the Black Warrior River.

The Friends of Historic Northport, a non-profit community organization that promotes awareness of the city’s history, want the bridge moved to preserve one of the oldest bridges in the Southeast and place it in a location where people can appreciate it. The bridge will be part of the Northport river front development and will allow people to walk across 125 years of history. The bridge will also serve as an educational tool for transportation and engineering students.

“I think one of the biggest results of moving the bridge is that we will be preserving the oldest iron bridge in Alabama and promoting our history by incorporating it with a modern day use,” said Ken Willis, a member of the Friends of Historic Northport.

Currently, the 203-foot bridge serves no purpose as it crosses North River on an abandoned segment of Delhert Farm Road in the most northern part of Tuscaloosa County near Highway 43. It has been virtually hidden by vegetation since the 1960s.

The Black Warrior Bridge was originally completed on Christmas Day in 1882. Fabricated by Zenas King and the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, it was part of a multi-span structure that was used for traffic across the Black Warrior River from Tuscaloosa to Northport. In the late 1800s, many residents walked across it when going to work, and it was the first bridge in the county to be used by automobiles. The bridge was only used for 13 years before being replaced.

In 1895, the bridge across the Black Warrior River was replaced, and the spans were used throughout the county to cross smaller creeks. The once 600-foot-long bridge was disassembled and moved to its North River location after the U.S. government ordered a draw span be built on the Black Warrior River to accommodate river traffic. The bridge across North River is the only span left in existence.

Dr. Jim Richardson, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at The University of Alabama, has been analyzing lifting methods and determining the strength of the wrought iron to help with the design of the bridge for its proposed location.

“From analyzing the bridge structure to working out the logistics to move the bridge, this project has spanned multiple engineering disciplines. It’s been an exciting and challenging project for UA’s College of Engineering to work with these various groups to move this historic bridge,” said Richardson.

The Friends of Historic Northport, the City of Northport, Tuscaloosa County, Almon Associates, UA’s College of Engineering, and the Alabama Department of Transportation are participating in the project. Alabama DOT has approved the plans for the bridge to be moved and set at its new location, and it should be moved in early 2008.

As the group prepares the logistics for relocating the bridge, they are in need of construction services and other contributions. For more information or to contribute, contact Willis at Friends of Historic Northport at kdw58bu@aol.com or 205/454-5787.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has about 1,900 students and nearly 100 faculty. In the last seven years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.