Huntsville Highways and Roads

[codyg1985]

The parkway is as congested as it gets... The reason it hasnt started is not because other projects have priority they are hardly working on anything right now, its because ALDOT is the worse state run agency is history.

[rivercity123]

The parkway is the most heavily-traveled roadway in Huntsville. Even the portions of it that have been upgraded are at or over capacity.

[codyg1985]

Well, I think 565 is the most traveled. But, you were probably excempting that one. But, Memorial is the most densely traveled road in the county.

[rivercity123]

Actually the parkway gets more traffic per day than I-565. (Source: City of Huntsville Long Range Transportation Plan) I will concede that these numbers are from the year 2000, and may have changed since then.

Highest ADT for I-565: 83,000 (E of Governor's Drive, capacity = 136,000)

Highest ADT for Memorial Pkwy: 100,000 (S of Governor's Drive, capacity = 75,000)

Here are the numbers for 2005 (Source: ALDOT)

Highest ADT for I-565: 93,380 (between Sparkman Drive and Governor's Drive)

Highest ADT for Memorial Pkwy: 109,850 (between Bob Wallace Ave and Governor's Drive)

[Huntsville_secede]

WOW, maybe I was wrong. See, I've never driven on Memorial during rush hour, so, I'm sure that that's when most of the traffic occurs.

[rivercity123]

Thats insane... parts of 565 are 8 lanes, 9 or 10 with the exit lanes and the parkway has more traffic. Why can't we get the Southern Bypass or Memorial Parkway overpasses again?

[kayman]

Because Alabama Department of Transportation doesn't want to use their money for some reason. I can understand why, I mean, why would ALDOT use their money on transit in Alabama?

[rivercity123]

The law on the state books is NOT to use any funds whatsoever but for anything but roadways. That was a safeguard that the Alabama Roadbuilders Association (now AAA) had amended into the state constitution back in 1956. It has been that way since then because before then the vast majority of those funds where used on funding streetcars and buses systems in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile.

[Huntsville_secede]

Some words of encouragement for everyone.....

Transportation Progress Has State Moving in Right Direction

By

Joe McInnes, Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation

May 24, 2006

The Alabama Development Office, not the Alabama Department of Transportation, is the state

[HSVTiger]

Some words of encouragement for everyone.....

Transportation Progress Has State Moving in Right Direction

By

Joe McInnes, Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation

May 24, 2006

The Alabama Development Office, not the Alabama Department of Transportation, is the state

[Huntsville_secede]

too bad all that sweet talk and warm fuzzies stops at the Tennessee River. Meanwhile unfinished overpasses

, delayed bypasses, road widening, and any other project remain just a dream. ALDOT the biggest obstacle to economic growth in Alabama. Do a study on that.

[rivercity123]

too bad all that sweet talk and warm fuzzies stops at the Tennessee River. Meanwhile unfinished overpasses

, delayed bypasses, road widening, and any other project remain just a dream. ALDOT the biggest obstacle to economic growth in Alabama. Do a study on that.

[HSVTiger]

So who is responsible for airport transportation in Alabama? Is this ALdot too? There are only like 2 or 3 major airports in this state, and i mean a very minor use of the word major. Huntsville's airport was listed by the federal government on the list of airports that could be the next big hub. Great location, great access, land, so why hasn't this come into fruitation?

[rivercity123]

So who is responsible for airport transportation in Alabama? Is this ALdot too? There are only like 2 or 3 major airports in this state, and i mean a very minor use of the word major. Huntsville's airport was listed by the federal government on the list of airports that could be the next big hub. Great location, great access, land, so why hasn't this come into fruitation?

[jmanhsv]

Besides the FAA, which runs the ATC tower, Huntsville International is run by the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority, which is the government agency that is building the new parking and expanded terminal. No ALDOT involvement- that's why things get done around the airport.

[kayman]

Did Birmingham ever succeed in getting that 1% thing done. That could REALLY help out the metro areas. I think what they should do is devote a full 5-10% of the ALDOT funds to mass transit in the top ten metro/CSAs areas as follows:

(I know they're not in order of population completely, but, I think they're ranked in priority. I'm not sure about 6 and 7, Auburn is seein a lot of growth, but, the Quad Cities are pretty spread out)

1) Birmingham-Hoover

2) Mobile-Daphne-Fairhope

3) Huntsville-Decatur

4) Montgomery

5) Tuscaloosa

6) The Shoals

7) Auburn

8) Gadsden

9) Anniston

10)Dothan

[rivercity123]

That has went absolutely NO WHERE. There is a plan by the new BJCTA executive director said that he was going to lobby for more mass transit funding for all transit systems in the state. However, that won't be until next year before he can attempt to accomplish this.

[kayman]

Isn't it funny how our government leaders say that Alabama is sooooooo progessive when the transit improvement is reamaining stagnant. They'll finally get a clue when all of the development in Alabama leads to crowded already overcapacity highways with all of these freight trucks trying to get places.

All of this waiting that ALDOT is doing is literally costing lives. Some of the roads are in such disrepare that people get hurt while driving on them. Or, there's a bad reck in downtown because a vital bypass was not built.

[HSVTiger]

From an article about the Governors Drive widening project, is this like the mafia. Not only will we delay

your project but if you want it done at all then pay me.

Alabama held hostage by aldot

Governors Drive, also U.S. 431, falls under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation. Huntsville officials jump-started the widening by approximately 10 years by agreeing to pay for it with city money. A traffic study two years ago looked at alternatives, such as making Governors one way and making a parallel street one way the other direction.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind....xml&coll=1

[Huntsville_secede]

From an article about the Governors Drive widening project, is this like the mafia. Not only will we delay

your project but if you want it done at all then pay me.

Alabama held hostage by aldot

Governors Drive, also U.S. 431, falls under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Transportation. Huntsville officials jump-started the widening by approximately 10 years by agreeing to pay for it with city money. A traffic study two years ago looked at alternatives, such as making Governors one way and making a parallel street one way the other direction.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind....xml&coll=1

[kayman]

Its sad that the city of Huntsville apparently has more resources to get thinks done than the state of ALabama.

[Huntsville_secede]

Sounds like business as usual with the ALDOT. They still have their priorities in the wrong areas because the same thing is occuring right down the road in Birmingham.

[kayman]

If we are going to agree to pay for things we arent even supposed to be responsible for paying for then ALDot needs to speed up some of the other road projects here like Southern Bypass, and Memorial Parkway Overpasses.

[HSVTiger]

a little gem that helps delay projects, from the HSV times. Most contracts are usually renewed but it

typically delays the project even further

Church Street widening

The Huntsville City Council on Thursday night approved a new contract with the Alabama Department of Transportation for the widening of Church Street from Monroe Street to Oakwood Avenue.

The new contract increases the estimated cost from $6 million to about $9.3 million and extends the contract period for four years to 2011.

The contract extension is standard procedure after a gubernatorial election. All existing contracts between local governments and the state DOT are void at the end of the governor's term and must be renewed.

In the new agreement, the state pledges to use about $7.4 million of federal highway money and $504,000 of state money for the project. The city's share will be more than $1.3 million. The city is also responsible for paying any costs exceeding the estimated $9.3 million cost.

The project involves widening Church to five lanes from Monroe to Oakwood in two phases. It also includes building a new portion of Pratt Avenue to remove a severe curve.

[kayman]

a little gem that helps delay projects, from the HSV times. Most contracts are usually renewed but it

typically delays the project even further

The contract extension is standard procedure after a gubernatorial election. All existing contracts between local governments and the state DOT are void at the end of the governor's term and must be renewed.