The Edmund Pettus Bridge carries U.S. Route 80 Business across the Alabama River in Selma, Alabama, United States. Built in 1940, it is named after Edmund Pettus, a former Confederate brigadier general, U.S. senator, and state-level leader of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. The bridge is a steel through arch bridge with a central span of 250 feet. Nine larg…The Edmund Pettus Bridge carries U.S. Route 80 Business across the Alabama River in Selma, Alabama, United States. Built in 1940, it is named after Edmund Pettus, a former Confederate brigadier general, U.S. senator, and state-level leader of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. The bridge is a steel through arch bridge with a central span of 250 feet. Nine large concrete arches support the bridge and roadway on the east side.