Public Input Meeting To Discuss Purchase Of Toll Bridge

NORTHPORT, AL — State Rep. Ron Bolton, a Republican from Northport, will host a public input meeting at the Northport Civic Center to discuss the possibility of the state purchasing the Black Warrior Parkway Toll Bridge.

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The event will be held on June 12 at 6 p.m.

Bolton says this will be the first of several prospective meetings designed to gather public input to use in developing a proposal to provide toll free access to Interstate 20/59 on the western side of Northport.

As Patch reported in December, the Tuscaloosa County Commission unanimously approved a resolution in support of the state purchasing the toll bridge.

The measure has gained support locally after first being introduced by State Sen. Gerald Allen, a Republican from Tuscaloosa, who approached public officials across the county to lobby for their support.

Officials have said if the state makes the purchase, the toll would be removed and the Tuscaloosa By-Pass would become a public bridge.

The current toll is set at $2 and up for residential vehicles, depending on the number of axles on each vehicle, while starting at $3.50 for commercial vehicles.

First opened in 1998, the western by-pass provides an alternate route for the western and northern communities to cross the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County.

The by-pass connects U.S. Highway 82 and Interstate 20/Interstate 59, along with Highway 171, Highway 43, Highway 69 North and Highway 69 South.

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