HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Four months after a landslide seriously damaged U.S. 231 (pictured above) in Morgan County, road crews have started construction on the twin bridges that will span the unstable area of the mountainside between Morgan City and Lacey’s Spring.
On Monday, workers started drilling the first of 32 steel and concrete shafts. Those shafts will be socketed 15 feet into the solid rock to help form the foundation for the bridges. Each of the bridges will be 1,000 feet long and 44 feet wide with two lanes in each direction.
The target date for fully reopening U.S. 231 is December 2. If the contractor, Brasfield & Gorrie, finishes the project early, it could receive up to $2.5 million in incentive money. If it finishes later than December 2, deductions will be taken out of the $14.6 million contract.
In February, heavy rain triggered the landslide that damaged the highway. Crews finished Phase 1, removing loose rock and soil, two weeks ago.
