Jefferson County, Alabama

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Jefferson County Announces 6 New Road Projects Starting in 2022
3/1/2022  

Birmingham, AL – Jefferson County announces six new roads projects made possible by grants from the Alabama Infrastructure Bank. With the recently announced GM Smucker’s plant, new Medical West Hospital, and more development coming in Irondale and Trussville, there is a need to expand and improve certain roads and intersections. The County sought grants from the Alabama Infrastructure Bank and is pleased to announce that the following projects will be moving forward.

“These projects are in high traffic areas and the timing is critical to improve the infrastructure for the new businesses coming to these areas,” said Jefferson County Manager, Cal Markert. “There is no way to avoid the inconvenience for some of these projects, but the end result is going to be worth it for the citizens”

1.   Lakeshore Parkway Extension: The purpose of this project is to improve operational efficiency, safety and to upgrade the road. It consists of realigning Morgan Road and Lakeshore Parkway to form a single intersection at Hwy 150. It will also widen Morgan Road beginning just north of Hopewell near the Carvana facility to Hwy 150 from two lanes to five.

a.      Design phase 4/1/2022

b.      Target bid date: Early 2023

c.      Target completion date: 2025

 

2.   Bell Hill Road: This road connects Pocahontas Rd with Eastern Valley Rd adjacent to I-459. The construction of the new Med West hospital will add to this already congested area. The existing two and three lane roadway will be enhanced to a five-lane roadway to handle existing and planned growth in the area while bringing the roadway design up to current standards. In addition, intersection improvements will be constructed at the intersection of Bell Hill Rd and Lou George Loop and Pocahontas Rd. A second project phase, currently in the permit approval process with ALDOT and FHWA, will include interchange improvements at Exit 1 - Eastern Valley at I-459. The work will improve access and improve the connection to Bell Hill Road and ease congestion for interchange traffic.

a.      Design underway

b.      Target Start date: May 31, 2022

c.      Completion Date:  October 1, 2024

 

3.   Grants Mill Road: This portion of Grants Mill is located within the City of Irondale, but is maintained by the County. It is a major connector between 1-20 and 1-459. This project consists of widening Grants Mill Road from I-459 to Old Leeds Road from two to four lanes. It will include intersection improvements at Grants Mill and Old Leeds Rd in addition to Karl Daly. The project will also include signal installation at the on and off ramps for I-459 at Grants Mill Rd.

a.      Construction started

b.      Target Completion date of 9/15/2023

The County has also partnered with the Cityof Birmingham to complete paving for the portion of Grants Mill Rd within the City limits. Following the above project completion, the entire Grants Mill Corridor from Old Leeds Rd to Hwy 119 will be resurfaced.

4.   North Chalkville Rd Widening: This project consists of capacity improvements and signal optimization along Chalkville Mtn. Rd/North Chalkville Rd between Old Springville Rd and Woodland Circle. The purpose of this project is to improve the capacity of the corridor through the addition of driving lanes and optimization of the traffic signals. A more efficient North Chalkville Rd will also benefit I-59 ramp congestion. This work is being coordinated with ramp improvements being done by ALDOT and will also coincide with additional improvements that ALDOT has programmed for I-59 in the vicinity.

a.      Currently in design phase

b.      Target Construction start date is 1/20/2023

c.      Target Completion date of 1/5/2024 

5.   Old Tuscaloosa Highway at Lowetown Rd and McAshan Road Widening near I-20/59: Old Tuscaloosa Hwy is a major corridor that runs parallel to I-20/59 between McAshan Drive and the County line. The existing 2 lane section of McAshan Road will be widened to a 3 lane roadway to accommodate industrial developments, creating a continuous three lane facility from I-59 to Old Tuscaloosa Hwy, also the intersection at Lowetown and Old Tuscaloosa Hwy will be improved to include a roundabout that will also service access to Smuckers and Norfolk Southern. Old Tuscaloosa Hwy will be widened between the County line and McAshan Drive from two to five lanes. Jefferson County was also recently awarded a $2-milliondollar ATRIP Grant from ALDOT and will be constructing interchange improvements at Exit 4 and I-59. The work will include construction of a second bridge to provide additional capacity, ramp improvements and reconfiguration of the existing interchange into a Diverging Diamond Interchange. The work is being coordinated with an Interstate Maintenance project being administered by ALDOT to improve the ramps, with a planned construction in the fall of 2022.

Tuscaloosa Hwy/Lowetown intersection improvements:

a.      Currently in design phase

b.      Target Construction start: 2/7/2023

c.      Target Completion date 7/8/2024

McAshan Improvements Phase I/Phase2:

d.      Currently in design phase

e.      Target start date of 12/1/2022

f.       Target completion date of 6/1/2024 

6.   Walker Chapel Rd Bridge: The existing steel truss bridge was built as a temporary bridge over Black Creek. It is rated for10 tons and will be replaced with a new concrete bridge that will be 200-feetlong with three spans and a 32-foot wide travel way. The road alignment will be improved to meet current design standards.

a.      Under Construction: Feb. 14, 2022

b.      Target Completion date: Nov. 23, 2023  

In total, Jefferson County plans to spend$67-million on in house paving and road projects in 2022. This is in addition to the $2-million ATRIP award for the McAshan Drive/ I-59 Interchange project and an additional $4-million for the Morgan Rd/Lakeshore improvement project.

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