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Alabama Roads and Highways


jmanhsv

Which Highway Project is Most Important?  

46 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Highway Project is Most Important?

    • Birmingham: Northern Beltline
      5
    • Birmingham: US 280 Improvements
      2
    • Birmingham, West Alabama: Interstate 22
      10
    • Huntsville: Southern Bypass/Patriot Pkwy
      0
    • Huntsville: Memorial Parkway Overpasses and Service Roads
      0
    • Huntsville: Alabama 53 Widening
      0
    • Huntsville: I-565 Extension East
      3
    • Huntsville, North Alabama: Memphis-Huntsville-Atlanta Interstate
      7
    • Montgomery: Southern Betline
      1
    • Montgomery: I-65 Improvements
      1
    • Montgomery, Black Belt: I-85 West Extension
      4
    • Mobile: Western Bypass
      2
    • Mobile: US 98 Widening
      2
    • Mobile: I-10 Mobile River Bridge/Bayway
      4
    • Other (explain)
      5


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1) Just to be sure that both ends tie into those cities and not at some point east or west of those cities. It could be an alternative to I-65, but this, just like the West Alabama freeway, seems like a project to connect a small population to another small population (relatively speaking) with nothing in between. Hardly an economic opportunity there, even less that if both areas connected had a metro population of 1 million plus.

2) may actually make a bit more sense for through traffic interests, but I would take a guess that US 80 isn't exactly gridlocked either.

3) From what I understand US 72 is slated to be upgraded to a freeway east of Huntsville to Gurley where the loop around Huntsville will intersect US 72. Much of "Corridor V" which was to connect Huntsville and Chattanooga via I-24 has been built already as a four-lane highway. I could possibly see a need for US 72 between Huntsville and Kimball, TN to be upgraded to a freeway. It would make more sense than the previous two proposals IMHO.

4) Part of this may come to fruition in the form of extending I-759 in both directions in Gadsden. Originally the I-59/I-759 interchange was built to accommodate a westward extension. There has been some talk of connecting both ends of I-759 to US 431 north of Attalla and southeast of Gadsden, but nothing has been set in stone yet. The Anniston Eastern Bypass, which currently ends well shy of forming a bypass, isn't a freeway but a five-lane boulevard as it stands now.

I think that proposal would be something that may be built in segments in Huntsville, Gadsden, Auburn/Opelika/Phenix City, and Dothan. There needs to be a bypass of Guntersville/Albertville/Boaz on US 431. The Huntsville-Gadsden segment may see the light of day at some point, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

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I say to connect all of the main cities in Alabama need to be connected by the interstate system. This does not currently exists. Mobile & Tuscaloosa.. Mobile & Montgomery.... Huntsville, Gadsen, Anniston all cities that are fairly close to each other are not connected without doing some major backtracking when you travel.

1) Build an expressway between Tuscaloosa and Mobile (the western alabama north south freeway except don't build the part north of tuscaloosa, there won't be a need for that since I-22 will go through this area and the Memphis to Huntsville expressway.

2) Go ahead and build the 85 extension from Montgomery to Meridian. This will connect Montgomery with Meridian, Jackson, and Tuscaloosa (by way of the highway built between Mobile and Tuscaloosa)

3) Build the Memphis to Huntsville expresway (don't build the part to atlanta i have a solution below for that part) (US 72 in Huntsville is also supposed to be upgraded to interstate grade all the way I-24 outside of Chattanooga)

4) Instead of building the Huntsville to Atlanta highway, built a north south expressway connecting Huntsville-Gadsen-Anniston and terminating as far south as needed possibly all the way to I-10. or connect to I-85 somehow. This can be an alternative to the extra north-south freeway that may be needed to alleviate traffic on 65

5) Of course the Memphis to Birmingham freeway is already under construction

6) Birmingham to Auburn/Columbus GA also connecting Montgomery with Columbus, GA and possibly intersecting with the Huntsville/Gadsen/Anniston freeway and connecting with Dothan depending on how far south the Hsv/Anniston freeway goes.

That will give all of the major cities an extra highway or so going through the city

6) Whatever loop expressways are needed for each city, e.g. Birmingham Northern Bypass... Huntsville Southern & Northern Bypass.. Tuscaloosa western bypass, etc.

Some of these projects are really probably not going to happy, like the Memphis to Atlanta highway. But, I really only see the need for a complete eastern Alabama expressway. One that goes from Huntsville, with a connector to Decatur since no one will want to drie down 67 or go NORTH to Huntsville just to get on this thing, and goes south to Gadsden, then to Anniston, then down to Auburn, and eventually ending at I-10 in Florida. That would be the most supported. Well, over half the states population would be within 40-50 miles of this highway. Not to mention how much traffic would go down in cities like Decatur, Birmingham, Montgomery, Troy, and even Mobile could see some traffic reduction.

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Some of these projects are really probably not going to happy, like the Memphis to Atlanta highway. But, I really only see the need for a complete eastern Alabama expressway. One that goes from Huntsville, with a connector to Decatur since no one will want to drie down 67 or go NORTH to Huntsville just to get on this thing, and goes south to Gadsden, then to Anniston, then down to Auburn, and eventually ending at I-10 in Florida. That would be the most supported. Well, over half the states population would be within 40-50 miles of this highway. Not to mention how much traffic would go down in cities like Decatur, Birmingham, Montgomery, Troy, and even Mobile could see some traffic reduction.

Building this would remove the need for the Huntsville to Atlanta highway because Huntsville will be connected to Atlanta via Anniston. Why do you think the Memphis to Atlanta highway will never get done, its listed on the 30 year development plan by the state and the city of HUntsville.

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Building this would remove the need for the Huntsville to Atlanta highway because Huntsville will be connected to Atlanta via Anniston. Why do you think the Memphis to Atlanta highway will never get done, its listed on the 30 year development plan by the state and the city of HUntsville.

It wouldn't remove the need for a Huntsville to Altanta highway. It takes a long time to drive from Huntsville to I-20 via Anniston. There could easily be a connector that runs through Scottsboro and over the river southeast to I-75.

Because, it's been being planned for a really long time. If it does happen, it'll take decades. With I-22, Miss. had their portion built for a LONG time. ALDOT just took their sweet time. The 30 year development plan isn't law, it's just what the city would like to do, it doesn't mean they'll actually do it. A multi state highway is a pretty big project for one city.

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After spending the last 4 days in the "Black Belt", which I can safely say is named such, not for its ethnic makeup, but for the fact that if you were to take a picture from an airplane at night, all you would see is big black spot, I am convinced that the good people of that region are content with the way things are. I was working in Coffeeville and staying in Thomasville, and got the impression that they were content with their support of the logging industry and I'm sure enough of them commute to Montgomery, Mobile or Meridian to work. The most important thing that needs to be developed in the area is funding, if the state made an effort and dumped money into improving the education it would make all the difference in the area.

Building a N/S interstate in the western part of Alabama makes about as much sense as a domed stadium in Birmingham.

I strongly agree !!!

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It wouldn't remove the need for a Huntsville to Altanta highway. It takes a long time to drive from Huntsville to I-20 via Anniston. There could easily be a connector that runs through Scottsboro and over the river southeast to I-75.

Because, it's been being planned for a really long time. If it does happen, it'll take decades. With I-22, Miss. had their portion built for a LONG time. ALDOT just took their sweet time. The 30 year development plan isn't law, it's just what the city would like to do, it doesn't mean they'll actually do it. A multi state highway is a pretty big project for one city.

Yeah I agree there needs to be an expressway connecting Huntsville to Atlanta directly it would really cut down on time. I'm just saying at least there would be a quicker way than now to get to Atlanta directly by expressway. Georgia still has to agree to build their part and last I heard they didnt.

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Yeah I agree there needs to be an expressway connecting Huntsville to Atlanta directly it would really cut down on time. I'm just saying at least there would be a quicker way than now to get to Atlanta directly by expressway. Georgia still has to agree to build their part and last I heard they didnt.

I doubt that road will ever get built connecting to I-75. The most likely scenerio will be the upgrading of U.S. 72 to an limited access highway connecting Huntsville with Chattanooga via I-24.

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Yeah I agree there needs to be an expressway connecting Huntsville to Atlanta directly it would really cut down on time. I'm just saying at least there would be a quicker way than now to get to Atlanta directly by expressway. Georgia still has to agree to build their part and last I heard they didnt.

I think Georgia is/was interested in upgrading US 411/GA 20 from Rome to Cartersville to a freeway, but nothing west of Rome.

I think Georgia is thinking along the lines of how Tennessee thought about upgrading US 78; Alabama will not build it within a century, so why build a road to nowhere?

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Actually it would do us a much good if they would extend it to where the memphis to Atlanta expressway via Huntsville enters Georgia.. THat expressway was suppose to connect to I-75 at Cartersville, GA.

I think that's GDOT's answer for now for the Memphis-Huntsville-Atlanta interstate. Alabama is the state that is pushing for the road to be built, and only northern Alabama interests are pushing for this for now. Mississippi isn't interested either beyond a bypass of Corinth, MS (and judging by the light amount of traffic on the existing four-lane US 72 east of Memphis during rush hour, a freeway isn't needed).

I figure if Alabama actually gets around to building its portion of the highway then other DOT's may become more interested in doing their part, but I figure that for the moment this highway is seen as a pipe dream more than anything else outside of Alabama.

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Isn't that pretty much the only reason that I-22 was built by ALDOT. I have this strange feeling that if Mississippi hadn't built their portion, Alabama would not have gone forward with it. I see this being exactly the same. Alabama isn't going to do something unless it FEELS it has a reason to.

Most of the reason the majority of I-22 has/is being built in Alabama is because the highway was funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission as Corridor X; most of Mississippi's portion was built using a greater contribution of state funds. Alabama was slowly upgrading US 78 as Mississippi was, but Mississippi had a funding system in place to complete the upgrades quicker than Alabama. Now only if Tennessee would follow suit with their section.

I disagree with you about the rationale for the Mem-Hsv-Atl interstate. Alabama is the major proponent for this roadway, and really it's just the northern portion of the state that's pushing for this highway (The Shoals, Decatur, Huntsville). For all intents and purposes I-22 and I-20 will be the main Atlanta-Memphis route, which would eliminate the need for another highway in that sense. Any reason this would be built would be to connect those northern Alabama cities to each other and to Atlanta and Memphis, and to give those cities a main interstate to pass through their respective areas. Mississippi already has a four-lane US 72 that more than meets the traffic demand, and Georgia may only be interested in building a portion of this highway.

About the only portion of the entire Memphis-Huntsville-Atlanta interstate that will probably see the light of day anytime soon, besides the Bill Morris Pkwy in Memphis in which it is proposed to tie into, is the Southern Bypass of Huntsville. I do think that eventually Alabama may slowly build portions of this highway, but it will be a slow process, just like it was for I-22, and for any other transportation project to grace this state. Politics controls highway projects in this state, so whether or not this highway is built will depend not on need, but on whether or not it's made into a campaign and/or political issue.

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Ahhh, but, the people in Montgomery also have to want this to happen. North Alabama, as great and awesome as we are, can't just build a road on our own. Us simply wanting to do it, having funding in place, or having things organized does not get it done. The people in Montgomery that ultimately decide what happens to our road do.

I do agree that the Southern Bypass is likely the only part that would get built. It and MAYBE the Decatur portion. Decatur is in bad need of another crossing and this highway would work perfectly. The industrial corridor of AL 20/Alt 72 needs to be linked to the interstate, and keep the big trucks out of downtown Decatur. I think the Southern Bypass would be built first, then, the I-565 extension would probably be pushed further and eventually across the river into Trinity/Moulton Heights parts of Decatur. Huntsville and Decatur need one good long, string link. 565 does already do that, but, not as well as it should.

Too bad other projects are of higher priority it seems than this one. While IMO the Memphis-Huntsville-Atlanta interstate is about on the same level of need and usefulness as the West Alabama freeway and the I-85 extension, I believe the Mem-Hsv-Atl interstate would reap the greatest benefit out of those three. It's not that I have anything against the black belt, but building ribbons of asphalt through there isn't going to solve all of their problems. Portions of this highway, especially the Southern Bypass, the link to Decatur, the Corinth, MS bypass, and perhaps the southern Shoals bypass it would create are needed right now. I can't think of any portion of the West Alabama freeway that is needed at all, particularly because none of it passes into or through a populated area. The I-85 extension would link Montgomery to Meridian, but, again, there isn't too much in between.

And let's not forget the roads we already have. I-65, I-10, and I-20 need widening throughout most of the state, US 280 needs to be addressed, and then there are a countless number of bridges across the state that are in dire need of replacement. But everything is a political issue. It has gotten better during the last few years, but we are still a long way from where we should be.

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  • 4 weeks later...

It is a complex issue that should be discussed. However, Alabama could do more with all the money that state has stashed over the years from not doing anything to most of its roads. Alabama is FAR from hurting when it comes to improving the roadway infacstructure here. The problem is political bureaucracy and pandering is the reason why numerous urban roadways in the state are in such poor conditions. Hell, State Highway 21, which is a very rural roadway, is in 10x better condition than I-65 through most of North Alabama.

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Article from Huntsville times:

http://www.al.com/opinion/huntsvilletimes/...&thispage=1

You can't post full articles on here. I'm not being nitpicky, but it is a rule that we have to follow. - Leonard23

I have explored northern AL quite a bit and I have to say the roads seem pretty good compared to other parts of the country I've visited and lived in. Traffic in the Huntsville area is not bad except in a few isolated areas that have allowed too much sprawl without updating roads. Do the developers have to provide any funding for road improvement when they plop 500 houses in an old cotton field?

If there is any one thing that AL needs to provide more funding for, it is education. I think that has been shown time and time again.

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I have explored northern AL quite a bit and I have to say the roads seem pretty good compared to other parts of the country I've visited and lived in. Traffic in the Huntsville area is not bad except in a few isolated areas that have allowed too much sprawl without updating roads. Do the developers have to provide any funding for road improvement when they plop 500 houses in an old cotton field?

If there is any one thing that AL needs to provide more funding for, it is education. I think that has been shown time and time again.

I don't know what your definition of not bad and isolated is but have you driven in Huntsville during the morning and evening rush hour. Most of the roads here are getting bad with the exception of 565 which is fine when you drive on because it is 8 lanes wide in most areas. 72 going into madison, all the side roads, 72 east, al hwy 53, winchester road, the parkway, governors, they all are very congested. Of course if its not during morning or evening rush hour the roads are fine in most areas. If its not directly off of 565 its very congested

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I don't know what your definition of not bad and isolated is but have you driven in Huntsville during the morning and evening rush hour. Most of the roads here are getting bad with the exception of 565 which is fine when you drive on because it is 8 lanes wide in most areas. 72 going into madison, all the side roads, 72 east, al hwy 53, winchester road, the parkway, governors, they all are very congested. Of course if its not during morning or evening rush hour the roads are fine in most areas. If its not directly off of 565 its very congested

My definition of not bad is based upon living in three other areas of the country and comparing the traffic there to traffic here. I believe that there are many cases where widening the roads just promotes more development and you'll have the same problem in 10 years after the city/county allows developers to put a few thousand more houses off that newly widened road. Widening/improving the roads is not the end all solution. There needs to be more infill development, allowing people to live closer to work, reducing the amount of traffic on the roads. I doubt public transit would ever take off here, so I won't even discuss that.

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My definition of not bad is based upon living in three other areas of the country and comparing the traffic there to traffic here. I believe that there are many cases where widening the roads just promotes more development and you'll have the same problem in 10 years after the city/county allows developers to put a few thousand more houses off that newly widened road. Widening/improving the roads is not the end all solution. There needs to be more infill development, allowing people to live closer to work, reducing the amount of traffic on the roads. I doubt public transit would ever take off here, so I won't even discuss that.

Yeah I can believe that those other area of the countries probably have a lot more population than most Alabama cities. Infill development would help but they seem to build outward first in Huntsville. I tried to find a decent house a close distance to work its not happening here. Unless they redevelop the houses in the middle of the city.

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Yeah I can believe that those other area of the countries probably have a lot more population than most Alabama cities. Infill development would help but they seem to build outward first in Huntsville. I tried to find a decent house a close distance to work its not happening here. Unless they redevelop the houses in the middle of the city.

Two of the areas were signficantly bigger cities. One was almost the exact same metro (Lexington, KY). Lexington was similar to Huntsville in that there were areas with really bad traffic centered around the worst sprawl and roads that hadn't been updated. Downtown and the main highways/interstates were not overly congested.

My point is that the policy of building outward first must be changed or the traffic problem will persist. Public funding for road projects never keep up with private funding for development. You see it all around the country. There are lots of neighborhoods in Huntsville that could be redeveloped. I realize there are a lot of complications that come with that, it is simply easier and cheaper to put 500 houses on old cotton fields in Monrovia and then let the city/county worry about improving the roads. However, redeveloping old neighborhoods and empty space in the city is the smarter way to grow. You have to give developers incentives to do redevelopment and infill projects and disincentives to simply plopping another subdivision on the edge of town. Huntsville is in the driver's seat right now, there is no reason why they should have to beg developers to build the same cookie cutter subdivision/strip mall developments. They are in the position to ask for and expect more to improve the future prospects of the city.

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My definition of not bad is based upon living in three other areas of the country and comparing the traffic there to traffic here. I believe that there are many cases where widening the roads just promotes more development and you'll have the same problem in 10 years after the city/county allows developers to put a few thousand more houses off that newly widened road. Widening/improving the roads is not the end all solution. There needs to be more infill development, allowing people to live closer to work, reducing the amount of traffic on the roads. I doubt public transit would ever take off here, so I won't even discuss that.

Public transit has a better chance in Huntsville than any other area in the state at this point due to the lack of factionism of the region. A strong progressive mayor like Loretta Spencer and a somewhat progressive county commission like the one that exists in Madison County, it could spur more infill and a possible future with regional transit better than you think.

Back to topic, the major roadways in Huntsville in general is better than the most major roads around Greater Birmingham. I-565 and Memorial Parkway in downtown Huntsville compared to I-20/59 and I-65 in downtown Birmingham is in a 10x better condition. Of course, this doesn't mean roads around Huntsville-Decatur is perfect because they are a slew of roads in bad condition as well.

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I don't know what your definition of not bad and isolated is but have you driven in Huntsville during the morning and evening rush hour. Most of the roads here are getting bad with the exception of 565 which is fine when you drive on because it is 8 lanes wide in most areas. 72 going into madison, all the side roads, 72 east, al hwy 53, winchester road, the parkway, governors, they all are very congested. Of course if its not during morning or evening rush hour the roads are fine in most areas. If its not directly off of 565 its very congested

Memorial Parkway and University Drive can be especially bad even during the lunch hour.

I think it's time for ALDOT to consider toll roads as a solution to all of our traffic problems. I'm not talking about putting tolls on existing facilities, but building new ones that are tolled. Or, perhaps, creating High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes instead of regular travel lanes for interstate widening projects (I-65 especially comes to mind). Another option for interstate widening projects could be to build a parallel toll facility that is built for through-traffic interests (less exits, service plazas).

We all know how we all love to hate ALDOT for one reason or another, but if we let things continue the way they are, it will be decades before needed improvements are constructed, and by the time they are built, they will have already come years too late. Toll roads can be built and/or maintained by private companies or by ALDOT. Either way, the improvements will be built faster, and those that don't travel the road won't have to foot the bill for those that do.

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I don't know what your definition of not bad and isolated is but have you driven in Huntsville during the morning and evening rush hour. Most of the roads here are getting bad with the exception of 565 which is fine when you drive on because it is 8 lanes wide in most areas. 72 going into madison, all the side roads, 72 east, al hwy 53, winchester road, the parkway, governors, they all are very congested. Of course if its not during morning or evening rush hour the roads are fine in most areas. If its not directly off of 565 its very congested

Even 565 is getting congested, especially between Mooresville and the airport.

A few years ago, I read an article in The Tennessean where TDOT's budget was $1.1B for that year. That same year, the Huntsville Times reported that ALDOT's budget was $1.6B. But wait- AL has 1.5M fewer people than TN, though the DOT budget is $500M more? I don't think we should put more money into ALDOT/our roadways. It has enough money already, they just use it for the wrong things. But what are those? Nobody knows.

What I think ALDOT should do:

1. Penalties for contractors who miss deadlines. It shouldn't take 4 years to build an interchange (Chapman Mountain).

2. A long-range plan. Alabama is one of the only states that does not have a long-range transportation plan. It does have a 5-year plan, but it doesn't help for phased projects like the 53 widening in Harvest. A long-range plan will also help ALDOT plan their budget better.

(3 and 4 don't solve funding issues, but they do reduce congestion, which will help reduce the need for road improvements)

3. FUND PUBLIC TRANSIT. What's so wrong with that? AL lawmakers talk about it like it's Satan. And it's not just Birmingham that needs funding- Huntsville and Mobile also have inadequate transit systems.

4. Speed up/fix/fund the ITS programs. Huntsville's thinking about going it alone with their regional ITS system b/c of the problems with Birmingham's system.

5. Shift focus from rural highways to urban highways. This has been ALDOT's policy since at least the Wallace administration, when they built the rural interstates first while not completing the urban portions until the mid-80s. Alabama is becoming more urban; the DOT should reflect that.

I'll think of more later.

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  • 3 weeks later...

According to ALDOT Director Joe McInnes, the one project he seems to want completed the soonest over all others is I-22. Thank goodness... that thing has been taking forever. They've actually said now that it may be completed by 2010 or so (which is actually a bump forward in time since some had begun to estimate a completion closer to 2012 or later).

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According to McInnes, the one project he seems to want completed the soonest over all others is I-22. Thank goodness... that thing has been taking forever. They've actually said now that it may be completed by 2010 or so (which is actually a bump forward in time since some had begun to estimate a completion closer to 2012 or later).

I am disappointed to see that nothing relating to I-22 has appeared in the January 2007 contract letting advertisements. Also I am disappointed to see nothing relating to widening I-20 east of Birmingham.

On a side note, I think that Georgia DOT is upstaging ALDOT because from the state line 11 miles to the east it appears that GDOT is widening I-20 to six lanes.

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