Woolsey Finnell Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Woolsey Finnell Bridge is the four-lane, girder bridge
spanning the Black Warrior River
along U.S. 82 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
that opened in 1961. The bridge takes its name from the former state director of highways for Alabama, Woolsey Finnell. This is one of only four vehicular bridges spanning the Black Warrior in Tuscaloosa.
Due to both the age of the structure as well as the bridge operating well above its designed capacity by the 1990s, calls for a new span across the river to alleviate some of the congestion was proposed. Both the Warrior Loop and the Paul Bryant Bridge are expected to absorb some of the 55,000 daily trips made across the bridge upon their respective completions.
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
spanning the Black Warrior River
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...
along U.S. 82 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
that opened in 1961. The bridge takes its name from the former state director of highways for Alabama, Woolsey Finnell. This is one of only four vehicular bridges spanning the Black Warrior in Tuscaloosa.
Due to both the age of the structure as well as the bridge operating well above its designed capacity by the 1990s, calls for a new span across the river to alleviate some of the congestion was proposed. Both the Warrior Loop and the Paul Bryant Bridge are expected to absorb some of the 55,000 daily trips made across the bridge upon their respective completions.