Council President Maxine Herring Parker Bridge
Council President Maxine Herring Parker Bridge (also called Maxine Parker Memorial Bridge) is a 3-lane, 1000-foot vehicular and pedestrian bridge in the Collegeville neighborhood. It carries F. L. Shuttlesworth Drive over Southern RailwayCSX railroad tracks, between 29th Avenue North and 32nd Avenue North, abutting the Collegeville Homes public housing project in Birmingham's Collegeville neighborhood.
Construction of the bridge ended the problem of Collegeville being completely cut off from the rest of the city by at-grade railroad crossings. Though relief had been promised since the late 1960s, no concrete progress was made for decades. Environmental impact studies of various alternate proposals for a Finley Avenue extension were published in the early 1980s, but it wasn't until 2000, when an elderly couple died in a house fire while a fire truck waited for a train to pass, that community leaders took on the challenge themselves.
Neighborhood president Maxine Herring Parker championed the project. After being elected to the Birmingham City Council, Parker urged the city to fund a design and engineering study, and to pass a council resolution in support of the proposal. When federal stimulus funds for road and bridge projects became available during the Great Recession, she lobbied U.S. Representative Artur Davis in April 2009 to bring the proposal forward. Davis secured a $10 million commitment of stimulus funds. She also gave Governor Bob Riley a tour of the affected area to win his support.
The bridge was originally conceived as two projects, one vehicular bridge and a second pedestrian bridge. Those were combined during development of the project. Construction was expected to begin as early as 2011, but was delayed as the design evolved.
Parker died in November 2013. He son, William Parker, was appointed to fill her unexpired term. He assumed the mantle of leading the bridge project. He organized a ceremonial groundbreaking on May 30, 2014, at which the new bridge was dedicated in his mother's name. A concrete panel in the side walls of the bridge abutments reads "Collegeville: Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement" along with an illustration of a rose, recalling the roses Mrs Parker customarily wore on her lapel.
In January 2015 the Alabama Department of Transportation awarded Bell & Associates of Brentwood, Tennessee the $8.3 million construction contract (the main part of the $10.13 million overall project). Another ceremonial ground-breaking was held on April 8 of that year and, after months of delays, the completed bridge was dedicated on June 13, 2017.
The Council President Maxine Herring Parker Bridge is considered the first phase of a $32 million project to continue Finley Boulevard along the southern edge Collegeville to Alabama Highway 79 near East Lake Boulevard. No time frame has been set for the later phases of work.
References
- MacDonald, Ginny (July 6, 2009) "Alabama Department of Transportation sets first public meeting on three plans for proposed Finley bypass." The Birmingham News
- "Birmingham City Councilwoman Maxine Parker's legacy may be Finley Boulevard flyover to rescue Collegeville neighborhood." editorial (July 18, 2009) The Birmingham News
- MacDonald, Ginny (July 24, 2009) "Finley flyover plans draw interest from Collegeville." The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (October 10, 2013) "With money in place and bids coming, long-awaited North Birmingham railroad overpass closer than ever councilwoman says." The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (May 30, 2014) "Making it official: City and state leaders join to dedicate upcoming Birmingham railroad overpass." The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (February 2, 2015) "Building the bridge: State awards $8.3 million contract to erect Birmingham vehicle, pedestrian overpass." The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (April 8, 2015) "Railroad overpass construction, park renovations to be highlighted with North Birmingham ceremony." The Birmingham News