Photo courtesy of ALDOT
Resurfacing work being done in Mobile area
Making roads safer to drive is the mission of the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) as it continues with its federally aided Maintenance Resurfacing Program statewide.
In roads, like life, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. With that in mind, ALDOT works with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to slow the deterioration of the state's roads and, in turn, maximize the impact of every dollar spent.
By using ALDOT's Pavement Preservation Policy, the agency's area employees evaluate the condition of pavement near them and make recommendations to the department's deputy director of operations, who approves projects for each fiscal year.
The policy defines two types of road maintenance projects: preventive maintenance and minor rehabilitation. Federal dollars pay 90 percent of the cost of these projects, with state funds accounting for the remaining 10 percent.
To equitably distribute maintenance funds around Alabama, ALDOT organizes the state into five regions, which, in turn, are divided into areas and districts. Each area is allocated funds based on the number of state highway lane miles it contains.
Preventative maintenance projects extend the "functional adequacy" or lifespan of pavement and are done on structurally sound surfaces. In some cases, drivers may not have noticed any deterioration in the road when the preventative maintenance project is finished.
The work involves removing and replacing surfaces, sealing cracks, patching, applying safety layers and high friction surfaces, stabilizing slabs, and, in many cases, includes replacing guard rails.
Minor rehabilitation projects, on the other hand, are generally more involved than preventative work but they also extend a road's lifespan. These projects can include additional safety efforts, elevation and slope changes, widening roads and deeper removal and replacement of surfaces.
ALDOT Crews to Be Busy in Mobile, Grove Hill Areas This Year
Both types of road maintenance efforts will be on display in ALDOT's Southwest Region in 2024 as several resurfacing projects totaling approximately $40 million are about to get under way.
The Mobile area will see as many as eight projects this year across 47 mi. of area roads and highways, with up to nine more route improvements totaling 35 mi. scheduled to take place in the vicinity of Grove Hill.
Work sites around Mobile will take place in the counties of Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile and Conecuh; the Grove Hill projects are slated to happen in Clarke, Choctaw, Marengo, Wilcox and Monroe counties.
The state's Gulf Coast region near Mobile will see people and equipment working along:
- Alabama Highway 217 from U.S. Highway 45 to Lakeview Ridge Lane in Mobile County.
- U.S. 98 from Baldwin County Road 32 to County Road 11.
- Ala. 41 to Interstate 65 to U.S. 84/Ala. 12 in Conecuh County.
- U.S. 90 from Fowl River Bridge to Halls Mill Creek Bridge in Mobile County.
- U.S. 31 from Old U.S. 31 to Burnt Corn Creek Bridge in Escambia County.
- Ala. 21 from the Florida state line to Sunset Drive in Escambia County.
- Ala. 287 from Ala. 59 to I-65 in Baldwin County.
To the north-northeast of Mobile, several more roadway upgrades are due to begin in 2024, including:
- U.S. 84 from Clarke County Road 22 to Ala. 295.
- Ala. 178 from U.S. 43 to Clarke County Road 27.
- U.S. 84 from the Alabama-Mississippi state line to Ala. 17 in Choctaw County.
- U.S. 80 from Marengo County's Lee Avenue to the Hale County line.
- Ala. 28 from Ala. 66 to Ala. 5 in Marengo County and Wilcox County.
- Ala. 83 from the Conecuh County line to Ala. 47 through Monroe County.
- Ala. 66 from Ala. 28 to the Marengo County line.
- Ala. 162 from just west of Dixon Creek to Ala. 28 in Wilcox County.
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