The SR-247 bridge at Little Bear Creek near Red Bay in Franklin County will close for about a year for its $3.3 million replacement, starting Monday, Nov. 4.
SR-247 will be closed to all traffic in the vicinity of the bridge, about four miles north of SR-24. Commercial traffic must use the official detour, SR-24 to US-43 to US-72, and vice versa. Local traffic may use other alternate routes.
The contractor, Riley Bridge Company, will demolish the bridge built in 1963 and construct a new bridge in its place. The new bridge will be 12 feet wider than the old structure, improving safety with six-foot shoulders in addition to the two travel lanes.
ALDOT anticipates the roadway reopening in the fall of 2025.
Another new bridge on SR-247, about five miles farther north, opened to traffic in late 2023, with work continuing into this year. The $4.4 million replacement of the bridge over Cedar Creek on a new alignment did not require a detour.
