The newly constructed Moore's Mill Road bridge opened to traffic Tuesday afternoon, completing the first phase of the two-phase project to improve traffic flow to some of Auburn's largest southern neighborhoods.
One lane of traffic in either direction was shifted to the new bridge Tuesday. The old bridge will soon be demolished and replaced with a three-lane bridge that will allow for five lanes in total to cross Interstate 85.
Ward 5 City Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine, whose district includes the Moore's Mill bridge and areas north, said the project will be good for the city in the long-run, despite delays and traffic experienced during the construction phase.
"It will be wonderful when it all opens," Tremaine said. "It made me change my grocery shopping schedule, but it will be a good project. All the development
Traffic over the bridge and along East University Drive has been delayed as crews built the new bridge and began preparing the old bridge for replacement.
Rolling road blocks were also experienced on Interstate 85 Tuesday as law enforcement paced traffic to allow Alabama Power crews to remove temporary power lines in the area.
Construction on the bridge began in late April when crews began work on the new foundations and preparing the ground to build abutments to hold the new bridge. That construction finished earlier this month and the new bridge was striped into traffic Tuesday.
Moore's Mill Road crosses Interstate 85 in South Auburn and connects the city's core to its southern neighborhoods including Ogletree and Grove Hill.
Thousands live across the aging bridge, which could carry only two lanes of traffic. Only two lanes will remain open until the other new bridge is completed over the next year.
The bridge replacement is intended to alleviate bumper-to-bumper traffic for all of the residents who live in those neighborhoods.
The Alabama Department of Transportation will continue to limit left-turn access near the construction site along both East University Drive and Moore's Mill Road, Director of Public Works Jeff Ramsey said last year.
The city still advises commuters to use alternative routes through the area when they're available.
The total project will cost around $12 million. Eighty percent of the cost of the project will be covered by the state through a grant, and the remaining 20 percent, or around $2.5 million, will be covered through the city's budget.
The remainder of the project, which includes tearing down the old bridge and building a replacement to allow for four full lanes of traffic and a turn lane across two new bridges, still has about a year until completion.
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