Tuscaloosa approves $43.99 million contract to replace historic MLK–Jack Warner trestles

The Tuscaloosa City Council voted to award a $43,985,655.51 contract to Scott Bridge for phase three of the Martin Luther King Jr.–Jack Warner Parkway trestle replacement project, council members said during a public projects meeting.

Mayor (role: Mayor) called the contract award “one of the most exciting recommendations I’ve been a part of with the city of Tuscaloosa,” noting he has worked on the trestle project for two decades and characterizing the improvements as transformational for West Tuscaloosa. “This will open up initially 100‑plus acres of developable property in West Tuscaloosa,” the mayor said.

City staff presented the scope and cost details. Mr. Gardner (city staff/presenter) described phase three as the final phase of a multi‑phase project, outlining a four‑lane connector, a 6‑foot sidewalk, a 12‑foot shared‑use path, lighting, security improvements and substantial underground utility work. He told the council the recommended construction contract of $43,985,655.51 was about 10 percent over the city’s engineering estimate and that the complexity—keeping active rail lines, working around two trestles and building bridge structures—contributed to higher bid pricing.

Staff said the city’s total investment in the overall MLK/Jack Warner project is roughly $85 million. According to staff, Amendment No. 5 to the joint funding agreement with the Tuscaloosa Road Improvement Commission updates the earlier funding figures to reflect the bid results and the expected debt‑service reimbursement from T‑SPLOST. Staff also said about $9.2 million remains from the city’s 2020A bond issuance and that the city plans to issue approximately $41.4 million in new bonding for the project.

Mr. Gardner told the council the city intends to give notice of award on the 8th, execute contracts by late April and issue a notice to proceed around May 18; the construction period was described as roughly three years with a target completion in spring 2029. Mr. Butler (engineering presenter) requested and the council approved amendments to the existing Thompson contract to cover final design and construction phase services and testing, a combined $4,383,372, which staff said is included in the overall project budget.

The mayor and multiple councilmembers framed the project as improving safety and catalyzing residential and commercial development. The mayor also described the wooden trestles as the oldest operating wooden train trestle in the United States; that characterization was made in the meeting and is presented here as a statement by the mayor and not independently verified in this report.

The council voted to approve the award and related contract amendments during the meeting; the motion passed on an oral roll call of “aye” responses recorded in the transcript. Individual member votes were not enumerated in the public transcript.