Three Questions about Lauderdale 16 Bridge

 

A reader asked us to look into the status of a new bridge over Cypress Creek at Lauderdale County Road 16. We were woefully ignorant of the situation, but did do a quick study, with more in depth research to come.

Three questions seem to jump out:

1. The old bridge was decommissioned in 2017 due to its dangerous state. Why was no one aware of the problem in time to bring it temporarily up to code while a new bridge was being built?

2. The county was to have sent out bid requests on December 4th. Apparently this wasn't done. Why?

3. In doing preliminary studies of the area, Native American artifacts were found which had to be preserved. Students from the University of Alabama performed the search of the site, sending the found items back to Tuscaloosa and then onto the University's Moundville Park (pictured). We'll assume a protocol for these kinds of finds was set up years ago, but in a case where an area has its own Indian museum, shouldn't their permanent home be in Lauderdale County? Why didn't Lauderdale County Commissioners and the Indian Mound Museum step in to request these ancient items be returned after UA's initial studies.

If any readers have insight into the bid status of this bridge or other pertinent information, please contact us.