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Some interesting facts concerning the defunct old and proposed new College Street bridges:
1. The last bridge connecting the end of College Street in West Florence was razed in the early 1950s. In other words, there has been no bridge at this location for almost 70 years.
2. In 2013, the City of Florence applied for a state/federal grant to widen College Street and build a new bridge. The estimated cost at that time was 20 million.
3. We personally spoke with two College Street merchants who would have lost their parking lots in this project. Neither one had been contacted by the city or any other government entity. Hold on to that thought...
4. In 2016/17, the state rejected the city's request for the grant as written. Instead, much more meager funding was awarded to do some minor street widening.
5. In 2018, the City of Florence paid for a new College Street study that focused on the former ECM Hospital property and an extended street ending at a bridge to County Road 2/State Highway 20.
6. In 2019, the University of North Alabama took a cursory look at the ECM property in connection with a new football stadium. Hold on to this thought also...
7. In 2020, the city proposed to sell the ECM property to a three-man LLC to turn into a residential development. The city lost money on the deal.
8. In 2021, Florence City Council president Dick Jordan, who initiated the ECM sale, announced a new College Street bridge is the most "critical" project on the city's infrastructure list.
9. The city initiated an $88,000.00 study on the proposed bridge. This is in addition to the state study from 2013 and the city study from 2018.
10. We'll throw in just for comic relief that Mayor Andy Betterton stated the bridge would likely help open up the Savannah Highway to West Florence. Really, Andy? Did you need an engineering degree to make that observation?
Next: ECM property, a football stadium, and new hope for a 50 year-old land investment.
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