Tuscaloosa Breaks Ground on University Boulevard East Upgrades in Alberta

Elected officials and community leaders were in Alberta City Thursday afternoon to break ground on a transformative $27 million project to upgrade University Boulevard East.

The project has long been a priority for council president Kip Tyner, who has represented Alberta on the city council for a record-shattering 30 years.

The utility and streetscape improvements, funded through Mayor Walt Maddox's Elevate Tuscaloosa initiative, will upgrade the roadway between Arcadia Drive and Redmont Drive. Additions will include new lighting, sidewalks, cameras and decorative landscaping.

The project means a great deal to Tyner, whose brother, Bo, was killed one morning in 2024 when he was struck by a vehicle while walking on University Boulevard East near the intersection of Juanita Drive.

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"I lost my little brother on this street, and I think about him a lot," Tyner said Thursday. "I believe so strongly in the Good Lord, and I believe it was his time. But I've maybe thought about, if the lighting had just been better, he may have been seen and not hit. So this is personal and emotional."

Most of the Tuscaloosa City Council was there to support Tyner, as well as Mayor Maddox, dozens of city staff members and University of Alabama President Peter Mohler.

Maddox said the city had to acquire more than 50 parcels of land for rights of way to make these upgrades possible, and the project represents Tuscaloosa's ongoing investment in the Alberta area.

"This project is more than just asphalt, utility relocation and sidewalk. This project is a commitment to Alberta," Maddox said. "The city's commitment to Alberta has always been strong, but after the April 27th 2011 tornado destroyed 13 percent of our city and nearly 60 percent of Alberta, we doubled down on that commitment to make certain we never forgot Alberta."

With planning and design of the work already done, the groundbreaking represents the beginning of construction on this $27 million undertaking.

According to the city's Elevate Tuscaloosa website, the work is expected to be completed by Spring 2027.

Watch a live stream of the entire Thursday ceremony below, and for more coverage of news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.