Carries 4 lanes of I‑65 Construction started 1978 Clearance below 38 m | Other name(s) "Dolly Parton" Bridge Total length 9,785 m Opened 1980 | |
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Crosses Mobile-Tensaw River delta Locale Mobile County / Baldwin County, near Mobile, Alabama Official name General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge Design dual tied through-arch and beam viaduct Address I-65, Creola, AL 36525, USA Location Mobile County, Alabama, Mobile Bodies of water Tensaw River, Mobile River Similar Jubilee Parkway, Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge, George Wallace Tunnel, Mobile–Tensaw River Delta, Bankhead Tunnel | ||
Repairs to general w k wilson jr bridge to begin june 16
The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge consists of dual parallel tied through arches of weathering steel and beam viaducts of concrete that form one continuous span carrying four lanes of Interstate 65 across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of the U.S. city of Mobile, Alabama. Built from 1978 to 1980, it spans a distance of 6.08 miles (10 km) over the delta, making it, along with the Jubilee Parkway across Mobile Bay to its south, among the longest bridges in the nation. It was named in honor of Walter K. Wilson, a Chief of Engineers with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and long-term resident of Mobile. He was credited with being one of the first people recognizing the need to construct a high-level bridge on Interstate 65 over the Mobile River that would not impede waterway development. The state of Alabama named the bridge in his honor after completion of construction in 1978.
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Dolly Parton Bridge
The bridge has red warning lights atop the parallel support arches which, when combined with the shape of the supporting arches when approached from certain directions, have caused the bridge to gain the nickname "The Dolly Parton Bridge".
May 22, 2014 Fire
On May 22, 2014 the bridge suffered damage in the northbound portion due to extreme heat caused following an accident involving two semi-trailer trucks. The accident occurred approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) from the arch portion of the bridge. One truck carrying petroleum barrels, stopped due to a previous accident, was rear ended by another truck, with an explosion ensuing. The driver of the tractor which impacted the trailer was killed. The subsequent fire and extreme heat generated caused significant damage to the concrete deck. The bridge was temporarily closed for two days and then reopened to one lane of northbound traffic. The Alabama Department of Transportation anticipates replacing the top 8 inches of the concrete deck over an unspecified area of the damaged bridge over the course of several months. The two northbound lanes will be completely closed during construction, with the two southbound lanes divided into one southbound and one northbound lane.