Patton Island bridge approach to open Thursday

FLORENCE - Alabama Department of Transportation officials say the expansion of the north approach to the Patton Island bridge will open Thursday.

Motorists will be allowed to drive on the expanded portion or the Patton Island corridor, which links Huntsville Road with Hermitage Drive in Florence. The project also will provide access to and from Florence Boulevard via a ramp system.

Kerry Blanton, project superintendent for Wright Brothers Construction, said the barricades at Helton Drive, Huntsville Road and at the ramps at Florence Boulevard will come down sometime between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

"They'll take down all the barricades and turn the red lights on," Blanton said. "That will mean it's good to go."

Workers were busy Monday and Tuesday with some last-minute work at the Helton Drive/Hermitage Drive intersection.

Blanton said the new portions of the roadway, which includes a widened section of Florence Boulevard, have been striped. He said information signs that will help guide motorists are also in place.

The fence marking the state Department of Transportation's right-of-way has not been installed, but Blanton said that work will not impede traffic. That work could start sometime today around the south end of the new road.

Wright Brothers Construction, of Charleston, Tenn., was awarded the contract for this phase of the north approach in January 2006. Blanton said construction on the $20 million project began five or six months later.

The original target date for completion of the project is this month. Contractors have met that objective despite some recent issues involving unstable ground in a small section of the median. That issue has been resolved, workers say.

Florence police Deputy Chief Tim Shaddix said officers will be paying special attention to traffic flow along the new road and the ramps at the Florence Boulevard interchange.

"We will be monitoring it immediately to determine if there are any issues or hazards that have not been anticipated," Shaddix said.

While he doesn't expect many problems, the deputy chief does expect a lot of traffic when the road opens.

"The lights have been flashing for a couple of months," Shaddix said. "People are accustomed to the fact the lights are there."

Shaddix said the road opening should alleviate some of the traffic on O'Neal Bridge since the new road will make Patton Island bridge more accessible.

Motorists should proceed with caution as they transition into the new roadway.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@TimesDaily.com.