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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

Tennessee officials, ‘friends’ to meet on future of B.B. Comer Bridge

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photo The 1931-era B.B. Comer Bridge over the Tennessee River in Jackson County, Ala., could become the target of preservation efforts. In February, a group dedicated to the study of historic bridges has dubbed the span to its’ list of Top 10 savable bridges in the United States.

IF YOU GOA public meeting with Alabama Department of Transportation officials, Friends of the B.B. Comer Bridge and state Sen. Shadrack McGill is set for 5:30 p.m. CDT on Aug. 1 at Scottsboro City Hall. The limit to the number of people allowed in the meeting room is 100. If response exceeds capacity, the location could be changed.

The B.B. Comer Bridge over the Tennessee River at Scottsboro, Ala., is the focus of a meeting set Thursday between those who want to save the bridge, lawmakers and state Department of Transportation officials.

Lallie Dawson Leighton, one of 3,200 members of the Friends of the B.B. Comer Bridge, says the group wants the 1931-era truss-style bridge to be saved for use as a pedestrian walkway or for cyclists and other activities. But the time line is very short.

“The contract has already been let for demolition,” Leighton said.

Bridge friends have seen it work elsewhere, she said, noting Chattanooga’s Walnut Street Bridge as a “prime example” of the potential for the span near Scottsboro.