Tuscaloosa provides online updates for $65 million McWright's Ferry Road extension

Ken Roberts, Tuscaloosa News
Updated ·2 min read

A new website and a text update service will provide a wealth of information about the $65 million project to extend McWright's Ferry Road in north Tuscaloosa, city leaders say.

People can receive detailed traffic information and construction updates at www.Tuscaloosa.com/roads or by texting MCWRIGHT to 888777. The website has an overview of the project, live traffic cameras, registration for neighborhood-specific updates, interactive maps, regular project updates and a section with answers to frequently asked questions.

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“Our goal is to give residents, particularly those directly impacted on their daily commute or around their homes, as much information as we can in the timeliest possible way,” District 3 Councilor Norman Crow said in a news release from the city. “We hope to minimize disruptions as we complete this much-needed project.”

Local governments broke ground on the McWrightÕs Ferry Rd. extension Friday, July 21, 2023. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox speaks during the ceremony.
Local governments broke ground on the McWrightÕs Ferry Rd. extension Friday, July 21, 2023. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox speaks during the ceremony.

Leaders have said the 2-mile long extension of McWright's Ferry Road will significantly reduce commute times for residents and allow first responders an alternate way to gain access to the area in times of emergencies.

With  an estimated completion date of winter 2025, the project will connect McWright's Ferry Road to the Eastern Northern Bypass, on the north side of Paul W. Bryant Bridge, which spans the Black Warrior River, connecting Jack Warner Parkway to Rice Mine Road NE.

The project also includes a pedestrian bridge over North River and a shared-use path which will ultimately connect to the Northern Riverwalk, according to a news release from the city of Tuscaloosa.

The extension is being overseen by the Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission, created in 2015 following passage of House Bill 600, known as the Transforming Tuscaloosa County bill.

Local governments broke ground on the McWright’s Ferry Rd. extension Friday, July 21, 2023.
Local governments broke ground on the McWright’s Ferry Rd. extension Friday, July 21, 2023.

That made permanent a decades-long previously temporary 3-cent sales tax. A portion of that tax funds TCRIC projects, including the McWright's Ferry extension, the city of Tuscaloosa's second-largest ever construction project.

The Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission and the City of Tuscaloosa partnered to launch the website.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox called the McWright’s Ferry Road extension project "one of the most critical, transformational road projects in the city’s history."

“As we progress towards a safer, more connected Tuscaloosa, residents will experience impacts of construction," Maddox said in the news release. "Our goal is to provide real-time updates and accessible information to minimize disruption to those who live, attend school, or travel frequently in this area.”

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Website shows progress of $65 million McWright's Ferry Road extension