Jacksonville State University is pleased to announce and invite the public to the Alabama Dept. of Transportation’s (ALDOT) official opening of the new U.S. Highway 34 bridge over Little River. The event will be held Sept. 15 at 10 a.m.  

Parking will be available in the new and expanded National Park Service parking lot on the Cherokee County side of the river.  

Featured at the event will be speakers such as ALDOT Director Joe McInnis, Canyon Center Director Pete Conroy, state Reps. Richard Lindsey and Todd Greeson, state Sen. Lowell Barron, Cherokee County Tourism Director Theresa Hulgan, DeKalb County Commission President Sid Holcomb, Fort Payne Mayor Bill Jordan and others.  

The ribbon-cutting is to be followed by a free barbecue reception hosted by JSU at the nearby Little River Canyon Center, where building tours and photos of the bridge construction will be presented. Food will be available for the first 100 guests and all are invited to attend. 

The bridge is described as being "the most beautiful in Alabama" and also one of the "greenest," with sustainable construction and ecologically sensitive design elements. For more information please call the JSU Environmental Policy and Information Center at 256-782-8010 or the Canyon Center at 256-845-3548.