Don Drennen Overpass
The Don Drennen Overpass or Ensley viaduct is a 1,590 foot long, steel-span viaduct over the Birmingham Southern Railroad Yard in the Ensley community of northwest Birmingham. It bisects the now abandoned TCI Ensley Works and currently carries traffic for Alabama State Highway 269.
The bridge angles from 20th Street Ensley across the tracks to Sherman Heights. The elevated road deck is 1,590 feet long, while the approaches bring the total project length to 2,826 feet.
The bridge was planned as part of a street improvement program which also involved taking up or covering streetcar tracks around the city. City Hall negotiated with TCI for the cost of the bridge's steel supports.
Construction was divided into three phases: preparation of approach ramps and abutments, installation of the steel bridge structure, and pouring of the concrete bridge deck. W. C. Howton Contracting won the bids for design and construction of the $1 million overpass. The first phase was completed in May 1952, with the bridge opening to traffic in 1954.
References
- Waldron, Martin (February 26, 1951) "Green To Oppose Bond Tax." Birmingham Post-Herald, p. 3
- Whittington, George (May 16, 1952) "Avenue F underpass may open in two weeks; bids opened for Ensley project" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound
- Baker, Jerry (February 21, 2001) "Contractor built bridge to last." The Birmingham News
.jpg){kind=link}