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Alabama

Started by codyg1985, November 02, 2011, 07:44:29 AM

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Rothman

Quote from: froggie on April 18, 2024, 07:09:26 PMThe better question:  what magical pot of new money is ALDOT going to use to maintain all of their new responsibilities?  It's not like they're flush with cash...even if they drop some other routes as Alex implies.  4-lane roads and big bridges inherently cost more than 2-lane country roads...

If they're savvy, they'd hire a consultant to apply for and then do the subsequent reporting for one of the many discretionary grant programs...
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.


freebrickproductions

Quote from: Alex on April 18, 2024, 02:50:28 PM
Quote from: HemiCRZ on April 18, 2024, 01:32:53 PMGov. Ivey has announced today that the State of Alabama is purchasing the Foley Beach Express toll bridge in Baldwin County for around $60 million. The entire beach express route from I-10 is now slated to become SR 161.

So SR 180 will be truncated west from the Foley Beach Express and replaced with an extension of SR 161. 26 miles of state maintained roads gained.

What is ALDOT going to truncate to offset that? They cut 32 miles in 2004 with the decommissioning of SR 112 but added 16 miles with the extension of SR 181.
The cut 3.8 miles from SR 180 in 2019 and dropped State Park Road 2 which was 3 miles long and SR 135 in 2016 which was 2.1 miles.

AL 62, maybe?
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

jaidenscott316

I-20 from Miles 130-132, 163-172, & 188-205 needs to be widened

jaidenscott316

Quote from: jaidenscott316 on June 15, 2024, 08:33:00 PMI-20 from Miles 130-132, 163-172, & 188-205 needs to be widened
Aswell as Miles 106-118 and from Tuscaloosa to the Mississippi State Line

Voyager75

#804
Quote from: freebrickproductions on April 19, 2024, 01:52:14 AM
Quote from: Alex on April 18, 2024, 02:50:28 PM
Quote from: HemiCRZ on April 18, 2024, 01:32:53 PMGov. Ivey has announced today that the State of Alabama is purchasing the Foley Beach Express toll bridge in Baldwin County for around $60 million. The entire beach express route from I-10 is now slated to become SR 161.

So SR 180 will be truncated west from the Foley Beach Express and replaced with an extension of SR 161. 26 miles of state maintained roads gained.

What is ALDOT going to truncate to offset that? They cut 32 miles in 2004 with the decommissioning of SR 112 but added 16 miles with the extension of SR 181.
The cut 3.8 miles from SR 180 in 2019 and dropped State Park Road 2 which was 3 miles long and SR 135 in 2016 which was 2.1 miles.

AL 62, maybe?

AL-59 could be truncated at I-65. North of there to Uriah is pretty sparse.


They began dismantling the Foley toll plaza early this morning. All the booths were gone as of early afternoon. I assume once the new southbound lanes and bridge is built they'll remove one of the 2 lane carriages for the mile long section that will be reduced to north bound only. No work has started on the north end yet where the southbound lanes split off to the west. The loop from the new bridge over AL-180 is well under way.

formulanone

I-65 southbound through Birmingham has been repaved with asphalt and is quite smooth. Northbound looks to be the same concrete surfaces for now.

My guess is that the construction crews didn't rip up the old concrete, but overlaid asphalt to have that done in just six weeks' time?

roadman65

https://maps.app.goo.gl/gCTkThfnFUkKvLH1A
I take this is ( or was) supposed to be a ramp to the proposed Northern Beltline that is being constantly scrapped?
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

jdb1234

Quote from: roadman65 on June 25, 2024, 04:49:28 AMhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/gCTkThfnFUkKvLH1A
I take this is ( or was) supposed to be a ramp to the proposed Northern Beltline that is being constantly scrapped?

Yes.  From what I remember, there is a similar ramp on AL 75 where it would intersect the Northern Beltline.

The Ghostbuster

I strongly doubt Interstate 422 will ever be fully completed. Although funding appears to have possibly been secured for the US 31-to-AL 79, it probably will eventually be cancelled, since it would cost nearly 5.5 billion dollars to complete.

roadman65

Someone posted on US Highways or Freeway Jim on Social Media that the state DOT is again going to get the first segment of the long proposed Northern Beltline done.

Is there any truth to it or is it clickbait?
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

froggie

Seems legit.  There's an al.com article about it, plus an extension to US 31.

clong

Quote from: formulanone on June 24, 2024, 09:23:10 PMI-65 southbound through Birmingham has been repaved with asphalt and is quite smooth. Northbound looks to be the same concrete surfaces for now.

My guess is that the construction crews didn't rip up the old concrete, but overlaid asphalt to have that done in just six weeks' time?

They started working on the concrete underneath in August 2023. The asphalt portion has gone pretty quickly, but not so much on the concrete rehab.

bdmoss88

The project to complete the US82 Gordo bypass has been let and has bids.

https://alletting.dot.state.al.us/WEBPROPS/2024/20240628/NTC_June_28_24.html#CALL003

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://alletting.dot.state.al.us/WEBPROPS/2024/20240628/LowBidSheet_06282024.pdf

jdb1234

Headed to Florence this weekend for the first time in over 20 years (every trip to North Alabama since then has been to Huntsville).  Besides the bridge on AL 133 over the Tennessee River, anything else worth checking out while I am up there.

froggie

Quote from: jdb1234 on July 31, 2024, 05:40:24 PMHeaded to Florence this weekend for the first time in over 20 years (every trip to North Alabama since then has been to Huntsville).  Besides the bridge on AL 133 over the Tennessee River, anything else worth checking out while I am up there.

It's not in the immediate area, but Corridor V (AL 24/MS 76) is now completed.

The Muscle Shoals/Florence area has never struck me as having a lot of roadgeeky-type things...

wriddle082

Quote from: froggie on July 31, 2024, 10:04:09 PM
Quote from: jdb1234 on July 31, 2024, 05:40:24 PMHeaded to Florence this weekend for the first time in over 20 years (every trip to North Alabama since then has been to Huntsville).  Besides the bridge on AL 133 over the Tennessee River, anything else worth checking out while I am up there.

It's not in the immediate area, but Corridor V (AL 24/MS 76) is now completed.

The Muscle Shoals/Florence area has never struck me as having a lot of roadgeeky-type things...


Years ago, a stretch of US 43/72 from the N Jackson Hwy intersection in Sheffield across the O'Neal Bridge to Downtown Florence had Botts Dots instead of standard lane markings.  Botts Dots were a very rare sight in the Southeast, as their usage has/had traditionally been in Western states, so I had always found that to be somewhat of a point of interest from a roadgeek perspective.

asdfjkll

Renderings and roll plots for the Birmingham Northern Beltline have been published on the ALDOT public involvement website. The roll plots and 4 lane rendering are for the US-31 to SR-79 portion, but the Future 8-lane rendering shows the full I-65 to I-59 segment north of Birmingham. ROW acquisitions begin in Mid 2025, with construction on US-31 to SR-79 interim 4-lane on the ultimate eastbound carriageway starting in 2026. The SR-79 to SR-75 interim 4-lane (also on the ultimate eastbound carriageway) is scheduled to open in 2027, with the US-31 to SR-79 portion opening in 2032.

The Ghostbuster

Once the initial portions are completed, maybe Interstate 422 should be signed as AL 959 in the interim until more segments are constructed (such as completing the connections with Interstates 59 and 65).

MikeTheActuary

Someone's not happy with the Northern Beltline.

Researchers: Alabama's $5B 'bridge to nowhere' offers 'little benefit'

...which references a UNC-Charlotte paper critical of the project.

Charles2

Speaking as a lifetime resident of the Birmingham metro area, realistically, the Northern Beltline should be among the lowest priorities of any Alabama highway project.  Presently, it serves no redeeming value.  In the long term, I doubt it will, either.  This is the 21st century equivalent of Hedley Lamar wanting to build a railroad through Rock Ridge.

Off the top of my head, these are among the greater needs in Alabama:

1) Expanding I-65 to a minimum of six lanes from the Tennessee state line to south of Montgomery, in order to relieve congestion for beachbound traffic. 

2) Continuing the expansion of I-20 east of Birmingham to the Georgia state line to six lanes.  This would entail new bridges over the Coosa River at Pell City.  It's worth noting that the section of the route that passes through the Talladega National Forest will likely never be expanded in order to protect the forest and its wildlife.

3) Expanding US 72 west from Huntsville to I-65 in Athens.  Given the amount of newer commercial residential and institutional development there, this would likely prove problematic.  This section of US 72 is as bad as US 280 south of Birmingham into Shelby County.

4) Expanding I-59 to six lanes northeast of Birmingham, as St. Clair County is now the second-fastest growing county in the Birmingham metro area.  Work is soon to be underway to expand I-59 from the I-459 interchange on a four mile segment leading to Trussville, but more needs to be done.

5) Expanding I-85 to six lanes from Montgomery to Auburn-Opelika, or even the Georgia state line.  This isn't just for the benefit of gameday traffic heading to Jordan-Hare Stadium.  I-85 is part of the primary route connecting Atlanta with New Orleans and points west.

6) Upgrades, and perhaps a parallel alternate roue, to US 231 south from Montgomery towards Dothan and Panama City.

7) Upgrades to SR 53 from Huntsville to Ardmore, near the Tennessee state line and I-65.  This would provide another alternative to either I-565 or US 72 for people heading to Nashville.

The Ghostbuster

There is a map in the story showing Interstate 422's eastern terminus at Interstate 20. I thought it was going to end at Interstate 59, with a connection with US 11 (not unlike Interstate 22's eastern terminus having a yet-to-be-constructed connection with US 31).

froggie

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on October 11, 2024, 05:33:59 PMThere is a map in the story showing Interstate 422's eastern terminus at Interstate 20. I thought it was going to end at Interstate 59, with a connection with US 11 (not unlike Interstate 22's eastern terminus having a yet-to-be-constructed connection with US 31).

There was consideration for extending the Northern Beltline to near Leeds about 20-25 years ago.  What you saw is likely a relic of that long-ago plan.

Ted$8roadFan

Quote from: Charles2 on October 11, 2024, 05:33:04 PMSpeaking as a lifetime resident of the Birmingham metro area, realistically, the Northern Beltline should be among the lowest priorities of any Alabama highway project.  Presently, it serves no redeeming value.  In the long term, I doubt it will, either.  This is the 21st century equivalent of Hedley Lamar wanting to build a railroad through Rock Ridge.

Off the top of my head, these are among the greater needs in Alabama:

1) Expanding I-65 to a minimum of six lanes from the Tennessee state line to south of Montgomery, in order to relieve congestion for beachbound traffic. 

2) Continuing the expansion of I-20 east of Birmingham to the Georgia state line to six lanes.  This would entail new bridges over the Coosa River at Pell City.  It's worth noting that the section of the route that passes through the Talladega National Forest will likely never be expanded in order to protect the forest and its wildlife.

3) Expanding US 72 west from Huntsville to I-65 in Athens.  Given the amount of newer commercial residential and institutional development there, this would likely prove problematic.  This section of US 72 is as bad as US 280 south of Birmingham into Shelby County.

4) Expanding I-59 to six lanes northeast of Birmingham, as St. Clair County is now the second-fastest growing county in the Birmingham metro area.  Work is soon to be underway to expand I-59 from the I-459 interchange on a four mile segment leading to Trussville, but more needs to be done.

5) Expanding I-85 to six lanes from Montgomery to Auburn-Opelika, or even the Georgia state line.  This isn't just for the benefit of gameday traffic heading to Jordan-Hare Stadium.  I-85 is part of the primary route connecting Atlanta with New Orleans and points west.

6) Upgrades, and perhaps a parallel alternate roue, to US 231 south from Montgomery towards Dothan and Panama City.

7) Upgrades to SR 53 from Huntsville to Ardmore, near the Tennessee state line and I-65.  This would provide another alternative to either I-565 or US 72 for people heading to Nashville.

I second all of these.

froggie

I would argue that Alabama's top priority should be I-10 on the Bayway and across the Mobile River.  Second should be HO/T lanes on I-65 thru Birmingham.

The third priority, which IMO has been completely lacking in Alabama, is access management on ALL of the state's 4-lane arterials.  The lack of access management, including and especially allowing private access points, is the primary reason why many of the arterials have horrid operations, including the aforementioned 72 between Huntsville and Athens*, 280 out of Birmingham, 210 around Dothan, and countless others.


* - While I agree with Charles in principle on the idea of 6-laning 72 between Huntsville and Athens, I am of the viewpoint that it would be useless without access consolidation and frontage (or backage) road construction.

I-55

Quote from: froggie on October 12, 2024, 10:33:48 AMI would argue that Alabama's top priority should be I-10 on the Bayway and across the Mobile River.  Second should be HO/T lanes on I-65 thru Birmingham.

The third priority, which IMO has been completely lacking in Alabama, is access management on ALL of the state's 4-lane arterials.  The lack of access management, including and especially allowing private access points, is the primary reason why many of the arterials have horrid operations, including the aforementioned 72 between Huntsville and Athens*, 280 out of Birmingham, 210 around Dothan, and countless others.


* - While I agree with Charles in principle on the idea of 6-laning 72 between Huntsville and Athens, I am of the viewpoint that it would be useless without access consolidation and frontage (or backage) road construction.

Access control is certainly lacking in Alabama and in most southern states in general. Ideally one would follow the example of MS 25 heading north out of Jackson, with wide ROW, full shoulders, and no private access. US 72 unfortunately doesn't quite have the setback required to successfully build out a road of this size.

But as you mentioned, the problem is statewide. I drive US 431 through Albertville and Boaz once a year, and there are way too many access points. There are multiple instances of signalized intersections being less than 500' from one another, parking lots flush with the shoulder (not separated by grass), and driveways out the wazoo. North of Guntersville there's even a section of "Arkansas Freeway" with portions of curb and gutter while maintaining a 65 mph limit.  South of Boaz its also 65 mph albeit divided (I do have a problem with the length of the yellow lights being too short at AL-77 but that's an argument for another time).

If Alabama wants to maintain a good 4 lane network it needs the following:
  • More access control (particularly on private drives but also increasing the distance between intersections)
  • Not dumping 65 mph highways into 35-45 mph city streets (happens on US-431 in Guntersville, Attalla, Huntsville)
  • More bypasses like US-82 around Gordo, Brent, US-431 around Anniston to separate local traffic
Transportation Engineer
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