7 August 2026
ETOWAH COUNTY, Ala. Part of State Route 205 in northern Etowah County is closed for about a year while the Alabama Department of Transportation replaces a 102-year-old bridge. The closure started Monday, Aug. 3, and runs from north of Old Guntersville Gadsden Road to just south of Waterline Road.
Drivers who use that stretch need a different route for the rest of 2026 and into 2027. This is a full closure, not a lane shift.
Where exactly is the road closed?
The closed work zone runs from north of Old Guntersville Gadsden Road to just south of Waterline Road. The north end of Old Guntersville Gadsden Road is closed at SR-205 as well.
ALDOT has posted signs marking the alternate routes. SR-205 runs between Sardis City and Guntersville and serves as an alternate to US-431 through that area, so drivers who use it to avoid 431 will be pushed back onto the main highway or onto county roads.
How long will it be closed?
About a year. ALDOT put the closure start at Aug. 3, weather permitting, and described the work as taking roughly 12 months.
The contract was let with 180 working days, which is not the same as calendar days. Working days exclude weekends, holidays and days lost to weather, which is part of why a 180-day contract stretches across a year on the calendar.
Why does the bridge need replacing?
The existing bridge was built in 1924 and carries SR-205 over the Alabama and Tennessee River Railway. It is 92 feet long and 19 feet wide.
Nineteen feet is narrow. It leaves almost nothing between a vehicle and the edge, and no shoulder at all for a breakdown or a cyclist. ALDOT described the replacement as a safety improvement.
What will the new bridge look like?
The replacement will be 120 feet long and 40 feet wide, more than twice the width of the current structure. That allows two 12-foot travel lanes with 8-foot shoulders on each side.
The project also realigns SR-205 and Old Guntersville Gadsden Road where they approach the bridge, so the finished road will not follow exactly the same path it does today.
What does it cost, and who is building it?
The project is budgeted at $4.9 million. Rogers Group is the contractor. Miller and Miller is the bridge subcontractor building the new structure.
The contract was let by ALDOT in January 2026 under project number BR-0205(507).
Who does this affect most?
Anyone who commutes between the Sardis City area and points north toward Boaz and Guntersville along 205 rather than 431. Residents on Old Guntersville Gadsden Road near the north end are affected directly, since that access is closed at the highway.
School bus routes and emergency response times in that corridor may also shift for the duration. GadsdenThrive has asked ALDOT for detour specifics and is seeking comment from local agencies on how routes are being adjusted.
What should drivers do?
Plan the extra time now rather than discovering the closure at the barricade. A year is long enough that a habitual route becomes a daily frustration if you do not adjust for it.
Follow posted detour signage rather than routing around it on unfamiliar county roads, which in this part of the county can be narrow and poorly lit.
Frequently asked questions
When did the closure start?
Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.
How long will SR-205 be closed?
About a year.
What is the closed section?
From north of Old Guntersville Gadsden Road to just south of Waterline Road.
How much does the project cost?
$4.9 million.
Who is the contractor?
Rogers Group, with Miller and Miller building the bridge.
How old is the bridge being replaced?
Built in 1924, making it 102 years old.
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