A bridge that originally took two years to build was patched up in a fraction of that time this summer, after crews raced to repair storm and crash damage on one of Mobile’s busiest highway crossings. The Gen. W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge, better known locally as the Dolly Parton Bridge for its distinctive twin-peaked profile, carries Interstate 65 traffic across the Mobile River and has been in service since 1980.
The bridge suffered significant damage in May, when a tractor-trailer slammed into the back of another 18-wheeler that had already stopped for a separate crash, damaging roughly 250 feet of the bridge deck. Given that an estimated 30,000 vehicles cross the span each day, Alabama Department of Transportation officials moved quickly to get repairs underway.
Montgomery-based McInnis Construction was awarded a $2.3 million contract to complete the repairs within 25 days, with work formally beginning June 21. To speed things along, ALDOT structured the deal as an incentive and disincentive contract, meaning the contractor stood to earn significant bonus money for finishing ahead of schedule, calculated based on the cost to the public of prolonged lane closures.
According to an ALDOT project manager, the incentive was set at $50,000 for every day the work finished early, meaning a contractor completing the job by the target date of July 5 could earn as much as an additional $500,000 on top of the base contract. Officials said the final bonus amount would depend on when the new concrete cured and the roadway was certified ready for traffic.
An ALDOT construction engineer said the project moved faster than officials had initially anticipated, allowing the bridge to reopen to full traffic ahead of the original projection and minimizing disruption for commuters and freight haulers who rely on the corridor daily.
The repair process unfolded in stages to keep some traffic moving throughout construction. In mid-June, crews narrowed the southbound side of the bridge to a single lane to install a temporary concrete barrier rail. A few days later, the northbound span was closed entirely, with all traffic shifted onto the southbound bridge running one lane in each direction while repair crews worked on the damaged section.
The accelerated timeline reflects how critical the crossing is to daily traffic flow in the Mobile area, where the bridge serves as a key connector for interstate travelers and local commuters alike. With the repairs wrapped up well within the contract window, state officials expressed satisfaction with how quickly the span was restored to full capacity.