The stretch of Interstate 65 known locally as the ‘Dolly Parton’ bridge is back to full northbound service after a construction crew wrapped up emergency repairs well ahead of its original deadline.
The bridge, formally the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge, had been reduced to a single lane after a serious wreck damaged the structure earlier in the year. Crews began the repair work on June 21 with a 25-day timeline to complete the job, but a Montgomery-based construction company pushed to finish even faster.
Part of the motivation was financial. The repair contract included an incentive clause promising the contractor an extra $50,000 for every day the work finished ahead of schedule. With the bridge fully reopened by July 5, the company stood to collect as much as a half-million dollars in bonus payments for beating the deadline by roughly three weeks.
The bridge carries an estimated 30,000 vehicles a day, making it one of the busiest crossings in the region and a critical link for commuters and travelers moving along the Interstate 65 corridor. With the Fourth of July holiday traffic bearing down on the area, transportation officials had considered a quick repair essential to avoid major congestion and safety risks on one of south Alabama’s most heavily traveled routes.
The accelerated timeline meant round-the-clock work for crews in the weeks leading up to the reopening, with construction teams racing to complete structural repairs, resurfacing and final inspections before reopening the roadway to traffic. The bridge’s nickname, a nod to its distinctive twin-arch silhouette, has made it a familiar landmark for anyone who regularly drives the interstate between Mobile and the rest of the state.
With both northbound lanes now fully restored, traffic flow across the span has returned to normal, closing out a repair saga that began with a dangerous wreck and ended with a contractor cashing in on an aggressive push to get the job done early.