Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

On the day before Thanksgiving, which is usually the busiest travel day of the year, the Alabama Department of Transportation reopened Alabama 14 after the bridge replacement project was completed enough to allow through traffic.

This $3.4 million project that was awarded to Murphee Construction in Troy was needed, but it created a headache for local travelers. Those who may commute back and forth from Selma to Prattville had to endure the long detour using Alabama routes 41 and 140.

The new bridges are great, and it is great to see all of the added safety features through the Blue Girth Swamp. In addition to the wider bridges with ample shoulder room, there are also guard rails all throughout the approaches coming up to, between and after you pass the bridges. That will ensure that motorists will be far less likely to crash into the swamp. And there is a groove shoulder to warn motorists if they start veering off the roadway.

We were expecting the project to be completed in several months, but they were able to finish just in time for Thanksgiving. That was a blessing to see the busy road reopen.

Work is not yet complete through the work zone. ALDOT said construction crews will still have to put some finishing touches on the project. As the workers are out there, please slow down and observe the construction zone speed limits.

We are excited to see the new bridges open. We hope these bridges will last us a long time while providing a safe route for motorists traveling across the state.