Why We Don't Have a Heflin-Flippo Bridge

 

It was January 2003, and outgoing Democratic governor Don Siegelman was issuing more proclamations than Joe Biden's pardons. There was an order to name a bridge for "Bear" Bryant, and another to name a similar structure for Richard Shelby, plus a third edifice to be named for Clyde Mabry. In all, the lame duck governor named four new bridges on January 16th and faxed the signed proclamations to his DOT chief engineer.

Yet, the proclamations didn't go into effect until signed copies were received by the DOT, and that didn't happen with the fourth. The paperwork to name the new Lauderdale-Colbert bridge after Colbert's Howell Heflin and Lauderdale's Ronnie Flippo was inadvertently left in a glove box and not mailed until days after Bob Riley took office as the new Republican governor.

Thus, Riley ordered his new DOT director to name the Northwest Alabama bridge "Singing River." Now over 20 years later, many still refer to the bridge by its working title of "Patton Island."

Among those many seems to be Kevin Taylor, city editor of the TimesDaily, who used the name in a recent news story. It's been surprising how much comment our blog has received after we mentioned Taylor's snafu on Facebook. 

It's amazing to know how many still take the Inner Loop to McFarland Bottom or the Outer Loop to Point Park. Just remember that it's Martin Park behind the Royal Avenue Recreation Center...

Love is in the air, so enjoy: