19th Street underpass

The 19th Street underpass is a surface connection between 19th Street North and 19th Street South running below the Railroad Reservation in downtown Birmingham.

In 1887 a group of downtown property owners contributed funds to a committee which aimed to secure construction of a 30-foot wide tunnel at 19th Street at a projected cost of $10,000. The investors, led by W. H. Hughes, included Henry F. DeBardeleben, J. F. B. Jackson, S. W. Herring, Nixon & Jemison, Josiah Morris and W. H. Williams. The venture raised only $6,000, and was unsuccessful.

The present underpass was constructed in 1961 of reinforced concrete.

References

• "Birmingham's first 'viaduct' erected 65 years ago" (August 31, 1950) The Birmingham News, p. 20
• "Looking Back" (August 16, 1959) The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
• (June 15, 1961) "New $1.6 million 19th-St. underpass is taking shape" The Birmingham News