WATCH: Northport School Access Road Complete For 1st Day Of Class

NORTHPORT, AL — Thursday marked the first day of school for the Tuscaloosa County School System as it officially opened the highly-anticipated Northport Intermediate School. But as area residents expressed concerns over the heavy traffic brought by nearby Tuscaloosa County High School and Northport Elementary earlier this year, the county quickly constructed a new access road to help ease congestion and promote safety.

ALSO READ: First Look Inside New Northport Intermediate School

The project included the addition of a right turn lane from Rose Boulevard on t0 Frankie Thomas Trace, before work moved forward to fork the road and wind it behind the TCHS football practice field and on to NIS and NES.

After lengthy discussions in the spring, work officially began in early June and finished on time, despite rounds of inclement weather that caused flooding in Northport.

Click here to subscribe to our free Tuscaloosa Daily newsletter and breaking news alerts

"We’re extremely happy with the school road widening project on Frankie Thomas Trace," said Jamie Lake, who represents District 2 on the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education. "It was truly a team approach and collaborative effort to get it finished on time. Our hope is that the extra inbound lanes and right turn exit lane that were added will meet the needs of our parents, school staff, and busses."

The overall price tag for the project, as Patch previously reported, came out to $1.9 million with the low bid from Duncanville-based GFC Construction. It was funded with $1 million from the Tuscaloosa County School System and an additional $900,000 from the Tuscaloosa County Commission.

Click here to take a quick trip along the new access road.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.