Huntsville Highways and Roads

[Huntsville_secede]

Q. In the last few days a major pothole has developed on Memorial Parkway, in the southbound lanes, just north of the Airport Road overpass. Who do you call to get it filled?

A. Because Memorial Parkway (U.S. 231) is a state-maintained road, the Alabama Department of Transportation is responsible for paving and patching it. You may call ALDOT's District 2 office in Huntsville at 837-0111 to report the pothole.

[kayman]

Q. In the last few days a major pothole has developed on Memorial Parkway, in the southbound lanes, just north of the Airport Road overpass. Who do you call to get it filled?

A. Because Memorial Parkway (U.S. 231) is a state-maintained road, the Alabama Department of Transportation is responsible for paving and patching it. You may call ALDOT's District 2 office in Huntsville at 837-0111 to report the pothole.

[HSVTiger]

not sure what this means, the question should be asked how many projects completed or on schedule?

let a contract don't mean squat if isn't completed. Alot of these bridge projects are all over the counties and

was federally mandated I believe.

anyway the begging continues

MONTGOMERY, Ala. Gov. Bob Riley says state Transportation Director Joe McInnes will continue in that cabinet-level post during the next Riley administration.

In a statement today, Riley commended McInnes for his past leadership of the Department of Transportation.

Riley says the department, under McInnes, has increased the amount of contracts let from 584-point-eight (M) million dollars in 2003 to an estimated 804 (M) million this year.

Riley says that's a 37 percent increase in road and bridge funding that is the direct result of McInnes' management.

[kayman]

Questions raised about the design of guardrail on I-565

The recent tragedic schoolbus crash has raised many question about the design of the guardrails along the bridges on I-565. The question includes should the guardrails along the bridges should be raised? The Texas Transportation Institute professor, Dr. D. Lance Bullard, said that the design of the bridge depends on the traffic counts of the roadway and the frequency of how many accidents have occur in the area.

[kayman]

I mean that ALDOT doesn't seem to care about the conditions or the apparent dire situation of an intersection or roadway until someone gets seriously injured or killed. The problem is very prevalent across the state with most urban roadways. 9 out of 10 times, a rural road or highway will get the need construction or reconfiguration faster than an urban road or highway. That's Alabama poltics at work.

[kayman]

Alabama 53 won't get repairs for a couple of years

It seems like once again like I said above ALDOT doesn't seem to care for urban roadways that much compared to rural roadways.

[codyg1985]

Alabama 53 won't get repairs for a couple of years

It seems like once again like I said above ALDOT doesn't seem to care for urban roadways that much compared to rural roadways.

[codyg1985]

On a ramp in San Antonio, TX there is a very large barrier on a bridge where the elevated ramp makes a sharp curve over a park. It almost resembles a sound barrier in height.

I figure the curvature of the road would probably play the largest factor in whether the guardrail should be raised or thickened, and I believe the portion of the road in question was straight. Still, as this tragic bus accident shows, just because a road is straight does not mean that accidents won't occur.

Perhaps a tensioned cable or a metal guardrail could be placed on top of the existing concrete guardrail inside that interchange.

[jmanhsv]

I do not think the overpass needs higher concrete barriers (they're not guardrails). I drive on the elevated portion of 565 almost every day, and I have never seen or heard about an accident on that portion of the interstate (in normal conditions) until last Monday. And I'm pretty sure this is the first time a vehicle has gone off the overpass. So considering the slim chances of another accident happening, I do not think the state should spend millions of dollars to raise/strengthen the barriers. But what they could do is step up traffic enforcement there to prevent reckless drivers (like the driver of the Toyota Celica) from causing another tragedy similar to Monday's.

[kayman]

I do not think the overpass needs higher concrete barriers (they're not guardrails). I drive on the elevated portion of 565 almost every day, and I have never seen or heard about an accident on that portion of the interstate (in normal conditions) until last Monday. And I'm pretty sure this is the first time a vehicle has gone off the overpass. So considering the slim chances of another accident happening, I do not think the state should spend millions of dollars to raise/strengthen the barriers. But what they could do is step up traffic enforcement there to prevent reckless drivers (like the driver of the Toyota Celica) from causing another tragedy similar to Monday's.

[jmanhsv]

Well, according to the Huntsville Times...

Witnesses said that shortly after 10 a.m., a Lee High student in an orange 1990 Toyota Celica clipped the Laidlaw school bus...

[rnc]

Well, according to the Huntsville Times...

[HSVTiger]

It was definitely a late model Celica. I drove by the scene on an adjacent ramp about 30 minutes after the accident. I had no idea what was going on at the time and I didn't see the bus because it was below me, but I saw the car on the ramp up against the barrier.

[rnc]

I drove right over the top of the bus on that ramp to the right and didn't have any clue what was happening below me. I thought the Celica was the only car involved until I heard about on the radio a few minutes later.

[jmanhsv]

Looks like the Beltline widening project is getting ready to begin in Decatur. Governor Riley approved the contract for the project on Monday (you need the gov's approval?). This phase of the project, which will widen the Beltline to 6 lanes from Gordon Terry to Danville Road, could cost up to $7.7M.

Decatur Daily article

[jmanhsv]

Governor Riley said before the election that the new I-65 Trinity interchange will begin work next year, and construction will be completed within 2 years. In this Decatur Daily article, Congressman Bud Cramer talks about the type of development he expects at the interchange when completed. http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/n...05/cramer.shtml

I'll believe it when I see it.

[Huntsville_secede]

I see a lot of construction trucks on U.S. 72 lately as well as ALDot trucks who have been surveying the wrong. The 1st spot is where High Mountain Road is on the right side of 72, it looks like they are clearing trees and stuff for the new collector road on the south of US 72. Secondly trucks seem to be laying some kind of utility lines along US 72/Shields close to Taco bell. Are they doing sewer lines for some kind of commercial development (maybe wal-mart). Anybody know whats going on?

[kayman]

I believe the utility work is conciding with the conversion of U.S. 72 East towards Scottsboro to an limited-access expressway. I don't know about the sewer work.

[Huntsville_secede]

I believe the utility work is conciding with the conversion of U.S. 72 East towards Scottsboro to an limited-access expressway. I don't know about the sewer work.

[jmanhsv]

I know that they are doing engineering/surveying work that will connect High Mountain Road and the Harris Hill mixed-use development to 72. It has nothing to do with the planned overpasses, other than the road will become a service road when they are built (and a collector road for High Mountain).

The sewer work is probably for the new Microtel and the medical clinic that are under construction. I don't think it's for a new Wal-Mart, though there are some plans showing a big box type store behind Taco Bell and McD's.

[HSVTiger]

I thought they werent going to start on it until late 2009/2010 at the earliest, and wasnt it supposed to stop at Shields?

[jmanhsv]

Here we go..... The developers of the Harris Hill development will pay for the engineering and any parts of the project that exceed $5M. From the Huntsville Times:

The council at its last meeting also awarded Civil Solutions LLP a $335,051 contract to design an extension of Moores Mill Road south of U.S. 72 and a service road along the south side of U.S. 72 from the proposed extension to High Mountain Road.

The firm will design a five- and seven-lane extension of Moores Mill Road south of U.S. 72 to the planned development.

A second road will be designed from the end of the Moores Mill extension for about three-fourths of a mile west to tie into High Mountain Road. The road will be three lanes and will mostly parallel U.S. 72 on the south side of the highway.

Civil Solutions is using Volkert & Associates as a subcontractor to design the traffic signals planned for the Moores Mill Road and U.S. 72 intersection.

[Huntsville_secede]

Here we go..... The developers of the Harris Hill development will pay for the engineering and any parts of the project that exceed $5M. From the Huntsville Times:

The council at its last meeting also awarded Civil Solutions LLP a $335,051 contract to design an extension of Moores Mill Road south of U.S. 72 and a service road along the south side of U.S. 72 from the proposed extension to High Mountain Road.

The firm will design a five- and seven-lane extension of Moores Mill Road south of U.S. 72 to the planned development.

A second road will be designed from the end of the Moores Mill extension for about three-fourths of a mile west to tie into High Mountain Road. The road will be three lanes and will mostly parallel U.S. 72 on the south side of the highway.

Civil Solutions is using Volkert & Associates as a subcontractor to design the traffic signals planned for the Moores Mill Road and U.S. 72 intersection.

[Huntsville_secede]

actually it will extend to Cedar Gap/Ryland Pike, the road upgrade that is.

[kayman]

So i'm assuming since the last overpass is at shields... what is going to happen to all the business on 72 between Shields and Ryland Pike.. How will they be entered if 72 is limited access expressway on their front entrance.