Alabama Highway 247 bridge over Little Bear Creek taking shape

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August 14, 2025

Hwy 247 bridge concrete — Workers pour concrete to form the deck of the new Highway 247 bridge over Little Bear Creek in Franklin County. (ALDOT contributed)

RED BAY — The new Alabama Highway 247 bridge over Little Bear Creek northeast of Red Bay in Franklin County continues to take shape, the Alabama Department of Transportation said.

Contractor Riley Bridge Company is pouring concrete today to form the final section of the bridge deck.

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A crane hoists a large metal container above a bridge. A crew of workers are standing on the bridge. Another crane is visible in the background. — Riley Bridge Company poured concrete for the next-to-last section of the bridge deck Tuesday. Weather permitting, they will pour the last section today.

The $3.3 million project began last fall. In late spring, the contractor installed girders to support the bridge deck.

Pouring process

Tuesday morning, Riley Bridge poured concrete for the next-to-last-remaining section of the deck. The section, near the center of the bridge, wasn’t readily accessible by concrete pump. Instead, concrete was transferred from trucks to a concrete bucket and hoisted over the bridge by crane. Workers then poured, spread, leveled and smoothed the concrete.

Here’s how they did it, step by step:

Concrete pours from the chute of a concrete truck's agitator into a large metal bucket. A man looks over the rim of the bucket to check the level. — Workers load concrete from a truck into a concrete bucket, a large metal vessel for transferring and pouring concrete.

The bucket is a silhouette against the sky — The crane lifts the concrete bucket into the morning sky.

Workers direct a large metal bucket from which wet concrete pours. — Workers open the bucket’s gate to pour concrete over rebar and deck pans. The crew communicates frequently with the crane operator through hand signals, muscle and machine coordinating to maneuver the bucket.

Workers use tools to spread freshly-poured concrete. — Workers use come-along rakes to spread the wet concrete and agitate it with a vibrator to release air pockets and improve compaction.

A man operates a large metal device positioned on top of the of the wet concrete. — A screed — this one, a motorized device with a vibrating truss frame — is used to level the concrete.

A worker leans from a platform to smooth concrete that has been leveled by a screed. — A worker follows behind the screed, using a floats to smooth the leveled concrete.

Road remains closed

The highway near Little Bear Creek will remain closed and traffic detoured until substantial completion of the bridge and approaches, which ALDOT anticipates late this year.

For road closure information, download the ALGO Traffic app or visit algotraffic.com.

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Alabama Highway 247 bridge over Little Bear Creek taking shape

Pouring process

Road remains closed

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