Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridges

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The "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridges are two bridges that span one of the widest points along the Tennessee River within the City of Decatur, Alabama, between Morgan County, and Limestone County. One is a cantilever truss, and the other is a reinforced concrete. The bridges carry US 31, Alternate US 72, and Alabama State Route 20 from the intersection of Wilson Street (Alternate US 72, and Alabama 20), and 6th Avenue (US 31) in Northeast Decatur.

This bridge is also the busiest road in the city of Decatur. At around 5:00 PM, traffic comes to a standstill as nearly 20,000 cars attempt to cross the river into the city from workplaces in and around Huntsville. About 50,000 - 55,000 cars travel over the bridge daily.

1 Keller Memorial Bridge
2 Routes Carried
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Keller Memorial Bridge

The first bridge built here was the William Keller Bridge, completed in 1928. This drawbridge served as the primary until the cantilever truss bridge was built in 1963. The Keller Bridge carried the west bound traffic and the new bridge carried the east bound traffic. As time moved on the currents of the Tennessee River changed and running barges through the narrow gap created by the drawbridge became more dangerous, and the bridge was hit several times by barges. Also, with the amount of traffic carried by the road, the drawbridge could produce mile long traffic jams. In 1999 the new concrete bridge opened. Eastbound traffic was shifted to the new bridge, westbound was moved to the cantilever bridge, and the Keller Bridge was removed. There are additional pictures and information about the Keller Memorial Bbridge available from the Historic American Engineering Record at the Library of Congress.^[1]

[edit] Routes Carried

[edit] References

^ Prints and Photographs Online Catalog - Search for "Keller Memorial Bridge"

[edit] See also

List of crossings of the Tennessee River

Bridges of the Tennessee River
Upstream I-65 Tennessee River Bridge Image:I-65.svg	Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridge Image:No image wide.svg Image:Alternate plate.svg Image:No image wide.svg Image:US 31.svg Image:US 72.svg Image:Alabama 20.svg	Downstream Norfolk Southern Tennessee River Bridge

v • d • e North Alabama, United States Landmarks
Huntsville Area	Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University • Athens State University • Big Spring Park • Buck's Pocket State Park • Cathedral Caverns State Park • Cummings Research Park • Guntersville Lake • Huntsville Depot • Huntsville International Airport • Huntsville Botanical Garden • Huntsville Madison County Public Library • Huntsville Museum of Art • J.F. Drake State Community College • Joe Davis Stadium • Madison County Nature Trail • Marshall Space Flight Center • Monte Sano State Park • Oakwood College • Redstone Arsenal • Tennessee River • University of Alabama in Huntsville • United States Space & Rocket Center • Von Braun Center
Decatur Area	John C. Calhoun Community College System • Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridge • Cooks Natural Science Museum • Dancy-Polk House • Delano Park • Joe Wheeler State Park • Rhea-McEntire House • Old State Bank • Point Mallard Aquatic Center • Port of Decatur • Princess Theatre • Pryor Field Regional Airport • Celebration Arena • Tennessee River • Tuscumbia-Courtland-Decatur Railroad • Wheeler Lake • Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge • Wilson Lake
Florence Area	Alabama Music Hall of Fame • Braly Stadium • Northwest Alabama Regional Airport • Tennessee River • Tuscumbia-Courtland-Decatur Railroad • University of North Alabama • Wilson Lake • Ivy Green • Barton Hall