All lanes open after ALDOT completes I-65 bridge work ahead of schedule

Published 8:33 am Wednesday, July 2, 2025

It took some extra effort to finish fast before the onset of the hectic July 4 travel weekend, but contractors working to repair a bridge along Interstate 65 south of Athens managed to beat the holiday rush.

All travel lanes are now open at the site of bridge repair work at Priceville, just south of where the interstate crosses over the Tennessee River. “After working around the clock since Saturday night, contractors completed repairs to the bridge on Upper River Road over I-65 about 14 hours ahead of schedule,” the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) announced ahead of the July 4 weekend.

Work at the bridge has been ongoing since April, slowing travel in the area and, at times, limiting traffic flow only to a single lane. “The girders of the Upper River Road bridge in Priceville were damaged April 29 when they were struck by a piece of equipment improperly loaded on a trailer,” said ALDOT. “…Though all six girders were struck, the outside girder on the north side took the most damage and required a more extensive repair.”

State highway officials negotiated the repair work as a $358,185 supplement to an existing $16.1 million contract with Rogers Group to perform ongoing resurfacing work along I-65 in Morgan County.

“Coincidentally,” noted ALDOT, “that project includes raising the Upper River Road and Parker Road bridges to improve clearances,” a measure that would have ended up becoming necessary despite its scheduled inclusion in the contract, due to the damage that occurred on April 29. “ALDOT thanks the public for their patience during the repair, which needed to be performed prior to raising the bridge,” the department stated.