According to a recent media briefing, the new Interstate 20/59 bridges could open for drivers by January 21.

The bridges are being constructed by Johnson Brothers Corp., and finishing on January 21 triggers a $15 million bonus incentive for the contractor.

The official targeted completion date agreed to by the contractor and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is March 21. For every day before March 21 that the bridge is completed Johnson Brothers receives $250,000, with a cap of $15 million.

If the construction were to delay until after the March 21 date, the contractor would have to pay a penalty of $250,000 per day until the project was completed.

“The contractor is working very hard, sometimes 24 hours a day,” said ALDOT engineer DeJarvis Leonard. “The contractor has an opportunity to meet that one year, Jan 21 timeframe.”

“However we want to make sure that they do everything they need to do to get this done correctly,” added Leonard.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.