Group trying to save Alabama bridge faces uphill battle

April 06--People tell Charles Holderfield he's crazy.

And, to some degree, the Scottsboro, Ala., man can appreciate why. His efforts to save the 83-year-old B.B. Comer Bridge just outside of town seem to dominate most of the time he's not at work.

"What started out as just a little Facebook group and seeing what we could do has become basically a full-time job," Holderfield said.

His group, the Comer Bridge Foundation, wants to stop the state from demolishing the massive truss bridge spanning the Tennessee River when its replacement is complete. The plan is to preserve the span for pedestrians and turn it into a tourist attraction.

"It's a beautiful, old bridge," Holderfield said. "Why take it away from the people?"

The group wants to use Wiley's Road Bridge, a truss span in Ontelaunee Township that Berks County had planned to demolish, to provide access to the preserved Comer bridge.

The plan hinges on the preserved bridge being able to generate the revenue needed for upkeep, inspections and liability insurance. The group has been brainstorming ways to do that.

The natural beauty of the river and the area's famous sunsets could be big draws if people know they'll have a unique place to observe them, they said. But tourism-related businesses could also be built up on the bridge.

The plan is to start small, with farmers markets and festivals with mobile vendors. Then other possibilities open up: music events on the bridge, stadium seats to watch bass-fishing tournaments on the river, climbing attractions for adventure-seeking tourists.

Julie Bowers of Workin' Bridge, the Iowa-based nonprofit overseeing the project with the Comer Bridge Foundation, said the attraction could provide an example of how a preserved bridge can be an economic boost.

"This shines a big light on what you can do with bridges," she said. "There are ways to really rethink some of these things and that's what we're trying to do."

The groups have had an uphill battle and it's not over yet.

According to reporting by The (Scottsboro) Daily Sentinel, Alabama transportation officials told the groups last summer that the state wouldn't stand in the way of the project, but there needs to be a solid plan in place for it to consider not demolishing the span.

There needs to be money in place to pay for ongoing costs, the state said, and the project should have backing from some government agency. City and county governments would not agree to take on the project.

The plan now is for Workin' Bridges and the foundation to jointly own and operate the bridge. They are putting together a business plan to show the state how they would generate the needed money.

"We will put in our purchase agreement and see if they say yes," Bowers said.

If the purchase is approved, the groups will be able to use the funds that were set aside to demolish the bridge for preservation. But they will need to generate funds for the ongoing expenses.

To Holderfield, it's well worth it.

The bridge is the last standing of 15 that were opened at the beginning of the Great Depression. The projects put a lot of people to work during a difficult time and tell an important story about Alabama's history, Holderfield said.

Students can learn from it. Residents can appreciate it. And Holderfield said he recalled, shortly after taking a stroll on the bridge while it was shut down for an inspection, the bridge provides passage to a little bit of natural beauty that's hard to match.

"I'm not a tree hugger," he said. "I'm not looking to save everything. But why do you want to take away the very last one of something that was so important to the growth of the area?"

Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or [email protected].

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