Saline Creek Bridge Hearing Held Tuesday

A Public hearing was held Tuesday evening at the Tuscumbia School to discuss replacing the Saline Creek bridge. Plans are to tear out the old 1925-era bridge and build a new, wider one at the same location, which will take about 90 days according to Hood. The wetlands around the project area would complicate and delay the project if the roadway was realigned to reduce the severity fo the curves in the area of the bridge, as many attending the hearing suggested. Moving the location would also add $1 million or more to the approximate $2 million cost of the project. Also being considered is having the Saline Creek crossing closed at the same time as the Dog Creek crossing on Highway 17 south of Tuscumbia. That bridge also will be torn out and a new one built in the same place. That smaller project is forecast to take 44 days. Feelings of the public affected by the closings will be taken into consideration before final plans are made in the next six weeks or so.