Alabama state Sen. Gerald Allen is still pushing his idea to extend the Tuscaloosa Eastern Bypass, and he thinks the timing might finally be right. If built, the extension would run from the Bryant Bridge at Jack Warner Parkway to Interstate 20/59, a stretch Allen says could pull traffic off one of the city's most congested corridors.
Allen first floated the proposal roughly two years ago, and as of that time the price tag for the project was estimated at $1.8 billion, according to WBRC 6 News. The senator says extending the bypass would alleviate traffic on nearby McFarland Boulevard, a road long associated with Tuscaloosa gridlock, especially around game days and rush hour.
Why Allen Thinks Now Is the Moment
What's changed, in Allen's view, is who's about to be in charge. He said having a new highway director and a new governor could be a good situation for Tuscaloosa, potentially giving the long-dormant idea fresh momentum. Allen also said governor-elect Tommy Tuberville is fully aware of the proposal, though the senator's comments describe Tuberville's awareness, not any commitment from the incoming governor to fund or advance it.
The idea isn't new, and it hasn't always moved quickly. Back in March, Allen told the station the bypass extension was still being discussed and far from abandoned, saying it's still on the board for discussions, per the same account from WBRC.
Decades of False Starts
The Eastern Bypass concept itself dates back decades. A 1991 study laid out an 18-mile route for what would become State Route 297, running from Interstates 20/59 in Cottondale to U.S. Highway 82 just west of Northport, according to 95.3 The Bear. Of that original vision, only one piece ever got built: the Bryant Bridge, completed in 2004.
To finally make headway on the rest, a proposed bill described by 95.3 The Bear would let voters decide on establishing a dedicated fund to build the bypass in seven stages. Under that proposal, Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County would each deposit $1.25 million quarterly, while Northport would contribute $625,000 quarterly, with the account administered by the Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission.
A Separate Project Already Underway Nearby
While the bypass extension remains a proposal, Tuscaloosa County has seen other road work move forward. The Alabama Department of Transportation has completed a separate US-82 project adding a travel lane in each direction along a 2.77-mile stretch between SR-69 and Rice Mine Road, according to ALDOT News Hub. ALDOT described the job as expected to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion along the corridor, and noted it marked the first major Rebuild Alabama Act project in Tuscaloosa County. That project is distinct from Allen's proposed bypass extension and isn't tied to its funding or construction.
For now, the Eastern Bypass extension remains exactly that: a proposal, with no confirmed funding, finalized route, or construction timeline. Allen's bet is that a change in leadership in Montgomery might be enough to finally push the decades-old idea past the planning stage.
