Alberta’s University Boulevard East Overhaul Nears Finish Line, Tuscaloosa Reports
Tuscaloosa’s $21 million overhaul of University Boulevard East is expected to wrap up around the first of the year, rebuilding the main road through the Alberta community.
City Engineer Mike Gardiner said Tuesday that the work runs from basically 30th eastward, culminating a little bit beyond Crescent Ridge Road.
“This project began in January and we’re anticipating it completing around the first of the year,” he said.
Gardiner gave the update at the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama’s Transportation Summit at the Tuscaloosa River Market early Tuesday morning, which was sponsored by Thompson Engineering and hosted by the city of Tuscaloosa.
The city’s presentation lists anticipated completion as early 2027.
Buried Lines and a Better Boulevard
Gardiner said the work includes roadway improvements, replacing roadside drainage ditches with curb, gutter and storm infrastructure, bringing the corridor’s sidewalks and crossings up to ADA standards, and adding shared-use paths and sidewalks.
He called moving overhead utilities underground “a large undertaking.” When the work is finished, he said, only the power transmission corridor will remain above ground.
Crews are also realigning the intersection of Arcadia Drive and 30th Avenue to make it more efficient and making targeted improvements at Crescent Ridge Road for truck mobility and other safety measures.
A Long-Awaited Alberta Upgrade
The project covers University Boulevard East between Arcadia Drive and Redmont Drive. It is an Elevate Tuscaloosa project built in partnership with the Tuscaloosa Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. At the January groundbreaking, Mayor Walt Maddox said the city had acquired more than 50 parcels of land for right-of-way to make the work possible.
The project was a priority for the late Council President Kip Tyner, who represented Alberta for 30 years. His brother, Bo, was killed in 2024 when he was struck by a vehicle while walking on University Boulevard East near Juanita Drive.
“Growing up here, I watched people for years walk in ditches, very dangerous conditions,” Tyner said at the groundbreaking. “This is one of the main reasons this project is being done.”
Maddox described the project that day as a promise to the neighborhood.
“This project is more than just asphalt, utility relocation and sidewalk,” Maddox said. “This project is a commitment to Alberta.”
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