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Mobile-Baldwin

Started by Alex, January 21, 2009, 12:02:39 AM

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Alex

Quote from: aaroads on May 13, 2009, 03:03:23 AM
Mobile County 39 extends southward from U.S. 90 on May 20, 2009. We checked it out three weeks ago and will definitely be driving it two weekends from now. Read more and see a few photos at https://www.aaroads.com/blog/?p=200

Well the Press-Register was misinformed, drove CR-39 yesterday and it is still not open. All of the lane striping is in place, but orange barrels still shunt drivers onto the U.S. 90 off-ramp. Did note that northbound signage is now in place, including a ramp speed sign.


Alex

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1243242944226050.xml&coll=3



Canal Road widening project remains stalled
Monday, May 25, 2009
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter

ORANGE BEACH – Three years ago, City Hall sent a $2.7 million check to the state's Transportation Department hoping that doing so would speed up the widening of an often congested stretch of Canal Road.

That money has been spent buying slivers of land from the owners of property along the east-west highway, which is also known as Ala. 180. But construction, once scheduled to begin by 2006 and pushed back twice – first to 2008 then to 2010 – isn't likely to begin anytime soon.

Today the state's best estimate is that work could begin in November 2010, said Vince Calametti, head of the Transportation Department's Mobile division. The startup date could move one way or another, state officials said, depending on when the state can close deals on rights of way, how soon utilities can be moved, and which higher-priority highway projects can be completed using federal stimulus money.   

In 2006, with Orange Beach in the midst of an unprecedented building boom and flush with hurricane recovery funds, giving the state $2.7 million to expedite a road project was only mildly debated.

Officials who raised questions quickly relented, reasoning that with significant development planned along Canal Road, it made sense to widen the highway.

Much of that development, however, never came to pass.

Largely because of the real estate reversal, the city's financial state has taken a U-turn. Last winter, 23 workers were laid off. Mundane items like new employee uniforms were nixed from this year's budget. City Hall even adopted policies mandating the printing of two-sided documents and the unplugging of unused office equipment to save money.

Said Mayor Tony Kennon: "$2.7 million would be great right now."

The Canal Road project will add two lanes to a 2cm HALF-mile, three-lane section, starting by The Wharf, where the road has already been widened by developers of the residential, retail and entertainment complex.

Kennon said that he recently met with Gov. Bob Riley, who told him that it would be among those bumped up in the Transportation Department's to-do list when other projects that are "shovel-ready" are paid for by the $514 million in transportation funding coming to Alabama through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The governor, Kennon said, "assured me it's at the very top of the list."

Transportation Department officials in Montgomery and Todd Stacy, a Riley spokesman, said the stimulus money will have a domino effect on highway projects statewide, moving many that are planned but not quite ready for construction up the queue for state funding.

Still, there are some obstacles, unforeseen when the project was first planned, that have the potential to delay the work further.

By receiving the $2.7 million from Orange Beach, the state was able to begin buying the necessary land along the 2cm HALF-mile corridor. Three years in, though, that effort still continues.

Calametti said that most sales have been finalized and agreements are in place for every other parcel, though not all those deals have been closed.

Baldwin County court records show, for example, that the Transportation Department and the owners of the Cypress Village development have been in a dispute over the state's attempt to acquire rights of way there since October 2007. In a March court filing, lawyers from both sides say they have agreed on a price for the property but separate disputes involving the property owners have kept the deal from closing.

In all, the right-of-way acquisition has cost about $3.7 million, Calametti said.

Once the property is obtained, the next step will be to clear the corridor of utilities, Calametti said: "The right of way is very tight there and there are a lot of conflicts."

While construction of the extra lanes is expected to cost $6.8 million, it could run around $8 million to relocate the water and sewer lines, power poles, gas pipes and stormwater ditches, said Rebecca Leigh White, a Transportation Department spokeswoman.

Alex

It does not appear that the lawsuit between ALDOT and MAWSS/Mobile Baykeeper is approaching a resolution yet. MAWSS is the utility responsible for supplying Mobile with drinking water, and they use Big Creek Lake as their source. The new U.S. 98 was under construction north of the present two-lane crossing on the north side of the reservoir. MAWSS and Mobile Baykeeper (an environmental group) content that the new project was done recklessly with regards to the environment and wetlands, and are requiring that catch basins be built to collect any major chemical run-off from the new highway. ALDOT has thus not added these basins to the project design, though no other work has been done since the project was halted quite some time ago.

Read more at http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/124402054473220.xml&coll=3

froggie

SunHerald/Associated Press article

Fox10 story

More recent Fox10 story

Mobile Press-Register article

A few articles leading up to and after an announcement by Mobile Mayor Sam Jones endorsing a routing for a new I-10 bridge over the Mobile River.

The route endorsed by the mayor and the city is "Alt B Shifted", shown in red on this map.

The city chose the route they felt would be least disruptive to the city and maritime interests.

The bridge project...which has been off-and-on for over a decade now (I personally attended a public meeting on the bridge back in November, 2001)...is supported by city and business leaders and many commuters, but is bitterly opposed by shipyard interests/owners and historic preservationists.

Duke87

They're crossing the shipping channel at an angle.

Usually you want to avoid doing that.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

Alex

#30
Jones sent a letter indicating his position to the state highway department. It's the first official position the city has taken since all seven City Council members signed a letter in August 2006 opposing any route south of downtown and urging renewed consideration of northerly routes.

City Council President Reggie Copeland attended Jones' news conference, and said he backs Jones' choice.

"We're just going around in circles," Copeland said. "We need to get something done."

Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Harris said the state has a good chance of getting funding for the bridge in a federal transportation bill that is being put together by Congress now.

Jones said he felt an urgency to speak out in advance of that bill. "If we don't have a consensus here, we're going to miss that," he said.

The bridge has been estimated to cost anywhere from $600 million to $660 million.

Even if the bridge does receive funding, it's years away from completion, according to Harris. State and federal officials are still examining the impacts of several routes, including the one that Jones supports.

Once that study is complete, the highway department will hold several public hearings in Mobile about the bridge. After that, it will settle on a route.

Harris said that Jones' position will play a role in the final decision.

After a route is selected, Harris said, the bridge would still need to be designed and engineered and then, finally, constructed.

Jones said the city will have some input in the design and added that he wants to make it beautiful. He said one idea could include putting colorful lights up and down the spans to match with the spire of the RSA Tower office building downtown.


Jones picks bridge route he supports
Thursday, June 11, 2009
By DAN MURTAUGH
Staff Reporter

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones recommended a particular route Wednesday for an Interstate 10 bridge over Mobile River, saying it was time to stop delaying and pick the path.

Jones said he supports a bridge route that runs from a point south of the Alabama Cruise Terminal, over the Harrison Brothers Dry Dock and Repair Yard, and north of the Austal shipbuilding expansion.

The route is a few hundred yards south of the Wallace Tunnel on I-10.

"There is no perfect alternative," Jones said at a news conference outside his office overlooking the west-side entrance of the tunnel. "But it's important to choose the route that's the least disruptive to the community as a whole."

The need for a new bridge over Mobile River has been debated since 1996. State and federal highway officials believe a bridge situated south of downtown is the most feasible way to clear congestion in Wallace Tunnel.

The tunnel, with two lanes in each direction, can become a bottleneck during peak traffic hours and tourism seasons, causing backups that extend for miles.

But a bridge has garnered opposition from a wide swath of the community, including shipyard owners – whose industry would lose between $40 million and $250 million a year in work, according to a study – and historic preservationists, who argue that the city's downtown would be marred by a bridge.

Bill Harrison IV, president of Harrison Brothers, said he's not surprised the mayor supports a route that would put a bridge pylon in the middle of his property. He said various proposed routes have gone through his shipyard since the beginning of the process.

"If they started this thing in the fourth ring of hell, it would still go over Harrison Brothers to get where it's going," he said.

Harrison Brothers was founded in 1895, and Harrison said he believes it's the oldest family-owned shipyard in the country. He said he will keep his business open as long as he can, but the bridge could "obliterate" all of his work.

Jones sent a letter indicating his position to the state highway department. It's the first official position the city has taken since all seven City Council members signed a letter in August 2006 opposing any route south of downtown and urging renewed consideration of northerly routes.

City Council President Reggie Copeland attended Jones' news conference, and said he backs Jones' choice.

"We're just going around in circles," Copeland said. "We need to get something done."

Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Harris said the state has a good chance of getting funding for the bridge in a federal transportation bill that is being put together by Congress now.

Jones said he felt an urgency to speak out in advance of that bill. "If we don't have a consensus here, we're going to miss that," he said.

The bridge has been estimated to cost anywhere from $600 million to $660 million.

Even if the bridge does receive funding, it's years away from completion, according to Harris. State and federal officials are still examining the impacts of several routes, including the one that Jones supports.

Once that study is complete, the highway department will hold several public hearings in Mobile about the bridge. After that, it will settle on a route.

Harris said that Jones' position will play a role in the final decision.

After a route is selected, Harris said, the bridge would still need to be designed and engineered and then, finally, constructed.

Jones said the city will have some input in the design and added that he wants to make it beautiful. He said one idea could include putting colorful lights up and down the spans to match with the spire of the RSA Tower office building downtown.

lamsalfl

Any of these routes will shorten the drive in time (more so) and mileage between Mississippi and Florida!

Alex

I am trying to keep all of the Mobile/Baldwin County related material in one thread for easier reference.

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/124479820251530.xml&coll=3


Bridge opponent promises to fight
Edington says litigation could stall project for years
Friday, June 12, 2009
By DAN MURTAUGH
Staff Reporter

An opponent of a proposed Interstate 10 bridge said Thursday that there will "no doubt be litigation" if the state highway department chooses any route south of downtown Mobile.

"If they won't reconsider and look at a northern route, then in that case, there would no doubt be litigation," Mobile attorney Bob Edington said. "It would tie up the project for several years, and eventually the government will get tired of fooling with us."

On Wednesday, Mobile Mayor Sam Jones announced his support for a route that would run south of the Alabama Cruise Terminal, over Harrison Brothers Dry Dock and Repair Yard and north of Austal's new shipbuilding facility.

Jones said he hoped that engineers could work with those who oppose the bridge to make tweaks that would lessen the impact. He said he did not know whether they could tweak it enough to avoid a lawsuit.

"It's hard to say. There are a lot of lawyers," he joked.

Jones' preferred route would put a bridge pylon right in the middle of Harrison Brothers' property. On Wednesday, Bill Harrison IV, president of the company, said that while a bridge could "obliterate" his business, he doubted he would be able to sue to stop it.

"The rules of eminent domain are such that our rights are very limited in our position," he said.

State and federal highway officials have said that a bridge situated south of downtown is the most feasible way to clear congestion in the Wallace Tunnel, which can become a bottleneck during peak traffic hours and tourism seasons, causing backups that extend for miles.

Opposition to the bridge, which includes shipyard owners and historic preservationists, has pushed for the state highway department to instead use electronic signs, interstates 65 and 165, the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge and the Causeway to get drivers around the Wallace Tunnel when there are backups.

State highway department officials last year dismissed such a route, saying it would not take enough cars out of the tunnel to alleviate traffic.

Jones said he asked his engineering department to look at the proposed routes and find the one that is least harmful to the city.

According to a memo from City Engineer Nick Amberger, who used to work for the state highway department, the other three routes would have greater impacts on shipyards or the city's cruise ship terminal.

In August 2006, all seven City Council members signed a letter to the state highway department saying they were concerned about the negative impacts a bridge could have and asking the state to consider the northern route.

Council President Reggie Copeland said Wednesday that he supported Jones' decision.

On Thursday, several other council members said Jones did not let them know about his decision before he announced it.

Councilwoman Connie Hudson said she would need to see the information Jones had been privy to before making her decision.

"I'm not opposed to his preference, but in order to stand there alongside the mayor, it would be nice to have the same information," she said.

Councilmen William Carroll and Fred Richardson said they now believe a bridge is necessary, but they needed to see more information before knowing whether they agreed that Jones' choice of routes was the best.

Councilman John Williams said he stood with the maritime industry in opposition to any new bridge.

"I cannot picture a bridge going across the south part of our city," he said. "The people work on the water, the maritime industry, they're not at all satisfied with that option."

Council members Gina Gregory and Clinton Johnson could not be reached for comment.

barcncpt44

of course there are some in the mobile area that say the tunnel is perfect but i say look at the traffic jams a tunnel is needed

A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it. -Doug Coupland

Alex

Perdido Beach is Baldwin County's newest town

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/124497105971650.xml&coll=3

Magnolia Springs incorporated in 2006. Lillian tried to do the same last year or in 2008.

Alex

There used to never really be problems at the tunnel, but with increasing traffic, especially beach-bound drivers on the weekends, I have seen tunnel back-ups from nothing more than congestion a number of times this spring.

Hellfighter

I like Alt B. better, but I have to wonder whether the crossing over Mobile bay is more important.

froggie

No it isn't.  Because without a new bridge or a new tunnel at the river, or a vastly-upgraded route to the Cochrane-Africatown bridge upstream (via US 90), you'd have 8 lanes on the "Bayway" (Mobile Bay crossing) narrowing to a 4-lane bottleneck at the tunnel.

Alex

The McDonald Road extension is now open. Drove the new road today and will post some photos later.

The road keeps a grassy median heading south to a point just north of Half Mile Road, where the road loses its median but still maintains four lanes. The south end connects with two-lane Padgett Switch Road at a new traffic light with Half Mile Road.

Two crossovers were added between the Park Boulevard/Gibson Road turn-offs and Half Mile Road as well. The road is signed with a 55 mph speed limit and a fair number of cars were already using it this afternoon.

Alex

Some photos of the freshly opened Mobile County 39 extension:



Mobile County 39 (which loses pentagons south of U.S. 90) at the Gibson Road east and Park Boulevard west turn-off. No cross traffic is permitted here, but a crossover lies just south of the turn lanes. Both roads are local in nature, but do connect with Mobile County 19 to the west and Padgett Switch Road (CR 23) to the east.



No Mobile County 39 shields are posted at the south end of the new road. Instead Interstate 10 and U.S. 90 trailblazers are posted in all directions. The traffic light at Padgett Switch Road replaced a flasher/stop sign.



Heading north on Mobile County 39, the road widens with the gain of a grassy median.



New interchanges in Mobile County are signed weakly. The Alabama 158 interchange with U.S. 45 includes just a couple of U.S. 45 shields and no green guide signs. The junction with CR 39 and U.S. 90 is the same, except that an unneeded "TO" banner is added to the U.S. 90 shield on northbound.

Alex

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1246094120320240.xml&coll=3


State officials say U.S. 98 construction problems solved
Saturday, June 27, 2009
By BEN RAINES
Staff Reporter

A hazardous waste containment system is in place, along with 45 wetland retention ponds and mountains of rock sitting atop the hills that used to collapse with every rain.

The U.S. 98 project in west Mobile looks vastly different than it did a year ago, and an inspection by Press-Register reporters this week made clear that much has been done to address environmental problems at the site.

Gone are the obvious plumes of mud smothering acres of wetlands. Big Creek Lake no longer runs red with construction runoff. The hundreds of acres of red clay present during construction have been replaced with a vast meadow of grass.

Several miles of the roadway have been covered with a thin layer of asphalt. A cruise down that stretch, which snakes through rolling, wooded hills, suggests the new U.S. 98 will be one of the more attractive drives in the southern part of the state. There is even talk among officials of applying for a "scenic byways" designation.

Alabama Department of Transportation officials say they have done what they promised when the problems along the roadway became apparent two years ago.

"We have made it right," said spokesman Tony Harris. "We have delivered a system that will contain a hazardous material spill as promised. We've stopped the mud."

Now, he said, the agency wants to settle the twin state and federal lawsuits filed in response to the construction problems and get back to paving the rest of the rerouted stretch. Transportation engineer Buddy Cox said that even if the lawsuits were settled immediately, three to five years of road construction remain to be completed.

Much remains to be done, including constructing more than 1,000 feet of bridge over wetlands surrounding Big Creek. Highway officials said the bridge project has been frozen for more than a year because of the uncertainties related to lawsuits filed by the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System and Attorney General Troy King. Both suits were joined by the Mobile Baykeeper environmental group.

While local politicians have blamed Baykeeper for the failure to settle the lawsuits, MAWSS and the Transportation Department still have not come to terms acceptable to both parties.

Officials with both groups say the gap between them is narrowing but still not quite closed. Those officials said they could not comment on the remaining issues because of a confidentiality agreement in place for the MAWSS lawsuit.

One key sticking point had been a system designed to capture chemicals in the event of a tanker truck accident near Big Creek Lake, Mobile's drinking water reservoir. Such a system is now in place, according to transportation officials.

The system, which includes remotely controlled valves, is designed to contain hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid, while the typical tanker truck carries about 9,000 gallons. The extra capacity is designed to ensure hazardous materials are kept out of Big Creek, should a truck spill something during a major rainstorm.

The system can accommodate 7 inches of rain in a six-hour period, allowing emergency responders plenty of time to address an accident-related spill, according to transportation officials.

Meanwhile, on Monday, MAWSS director Malcolm Steeves asked the Mobile County Commission for $2.25 million to build a hazardous waste containment system at the head of Big Creek Lake. Steeves said the system would serve as an extra measure of protection for Mobile's only drinking water supply.

The device would be built south of the existing U.S. 98 bridge and would also provide protection from an accident on the CSX railway bridge over Big Creek.

"It's meant to contain hazardous spills that either float or sink. If it is soluble in water it won't do anything. But if its oil, it will stop it, and if it is heavier than water, it will stop it," Steeves said.

Casi Callaway, with Mobile Baykeeper, said progress was being made toward addressing her group's concerns, but she wants ALDOT to put certain things in writing, such as a pledge to maintain the hazardous waste system.

"We want access to the roadway limited as promised. We want it put in writing that no one can ever build a big box store or a fast-food restaurant out there along that stretch of road," Callaway said. "This is the watershed for our drinking water. We do not want to encourage rampant growth out there."

Harris, with ALDOT, said he was limited in what he could say because of the lawsuits.

"We are still engaged in settlement discussions with MAWSS. Mediation is scheduled in the attorney general lawsuit for next week," Harris said when asked to address Callaway's concerns. "Those are issues that can be discussed when mediation begins."

lamsalfl

Whatever happened to the proposed Exit 37 on I-10?

Alex

Quote from: lamsalfl on July 14, 2009, 03:49:04 AM
Whatever happened to the proposed Exit 37 on I-10?

Last I heard people on the north side of the freeway wanted it redesigned to tie into a planned service road. I have heard nothing new on it in quite awhile, so perhaps its time for an email to ALDOT about it.

Alex

Scientists say Causeway hurting the bay; propose experiment

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/124885891042610.xml&coll=3

The article examines environmental impacts from the 1926-built causeway with suggestions to add more bridges along the route to increase water flow into Chocolotta Bay.

Alex

Contractor uses conveyor belts in wetland restoration at U.S. 98 construction site

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1249636511169960.xml&coll=3

More in the lengthening project to build a new U.S. 98 alignment around Wilmer and Big Creek Lake...

njroadhorse

Quote from: AARoads on August 07, 2009, 03:04:24 PM
Contractor uses conveyor belts in wetland restoration at U.S. 98 construction site

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1249636511169960.xml&coll=3

More in the lengthening project to build a new U.S. 98 alignment around Wilmer and Big Creek Lake...
Environment saving win?  :colorful:
NJ Roads FTW!
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 30, 2009, 04:04:11 PM
I-99... the Glen Quagmire of interstate routes??

Alex

Earnhardt's name off motorsports park project

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1250088317243650.xml&coll=3

The project involves building a major sports/entertainment complex in the undeveloped land north of Alabama 158 between U.S. 45 and CR-55. I've been skeptical of the whole thing coming to fruition, given the economy and all, and this latest news is one in a series of setbacks to the planners of the project.

As envisioned, the project would include a possible diamond interchange west of the current diamond at CR-55, for the park's west entrance.

FLRoads

Since Dale, Jr. and the family are no longer sporting the motorsports park, maybe they can change it from being a NASCAR facility to an ASSCAR facility (Alabama's $hitty Stock Car Auto Racing).

FLRoads

I-10 near Mobile reopens


September 2, 2009,

One lane of the westbound bridge of Interstate 10 east of Mobile has reopened.

A tractor-trailer damaged by fire on Interstate 10, just east of Mobile, closed the road for several hours.
Motorists traveling to and from Mobile via Interstate 10 westbound were forced to find alternate routes.
The road has was closed for more than five hours.
The fire, which broke out after 10 a.m. was extinguished shortly before noon today.
Information on injuries was not available today.

I was watching CNN at lunch today when they showed the tractor trailer ablaze on the Bayway. It was a pretty intense fire and kept the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 closed for a good part of the day. The accident occurred around 10ish this morning as the 18-wheeler was heading westbound. Hopefully I can get a picture or two tomorrow of the scorch marks when I head that way... :eyebrow:


Alex

I-10 service road would connect Baldwin County malls

QuoteBaldwin County's highway department has applied for a permit to build a road connecting two Spanish Fort malls, but it remains to be seen whether the company that owns the land involved is still interested.

That company, TimberCreek Land Co., had pledged $2 million toward the construction of what is being billed as an Interstate 10 service road, provided the roadway was started by the summer of 2010. Baldwin County highway officials estimated that construction could begin in three to six months, with completion 18 to 24 months after that.

The road would run roughly parallel to the interstate and connect Bass Pro Shops Drive to Woodrow Lane, which intersects Ala. 181 near the Eastern Shore Centre.



Also FYI, the button copy mileage sign posted after AL 59 was replaced this summer.



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