Postcard From Hard Hat Central, Otherwise Known as Tuscaloosa and Bryant-Denny Stadium

I feel like a big tease.

Those of you who saw last week's postcard may remember that I promised to go check out the new roadwork on AL-69, and to put eyes on the Lurleen Wallace Boulevard project after the Alabama Department of Transportation notified everyone that the improvements were nearing completion.

I decided to put both to the test and check them out during Friday rush hour.

The trip was a dud.

The Lurleen Wallace Boulevard project looked like it has for a couple of years, lots of construction and closed off lanes. The AL-69 project really hasn't begun yet.

It dawned on me after the fact that I probably should have looked up the specifics on the latter before heading out there, but, hey, I wanted to keep an open mind and see it first.

From the Department of Transportation:

"This is a joint project with the Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission. Construction is expected to begin during 2021 and take approximately 2.5-3 years to complete. The estimated cost is $65 million."

As for the improvements: "additional lanes (northbound and southbound), from just North of Plantation Road, to just south of the I-20/59 interchange; additional turn lanes; a grade separation, bound by retaining walls on SR-69; access changes on SR-69 and SR-7 (US-11; Skyland Blvd.) in order to safely accommodate current and future traffic volumes."

Bryant-Denny Stadium might be renovated twice over before that finishes.

Speaking of which, and trying to save face a little, I made sure to swing by and check out the latest construction. Here are shots from the north and south:

Strangely, going from the north side to the south side of the stadium was actually pretty easy even though the surrounding area is all road work and building projects.

Trying to navigate anywhere is else is like working through a hard-hat maze.

—Christopher Walsh