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Mobile-Baldwin

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

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froggie

Regarding extending the Foley Beach Express to AL 182, it would have to go right through a state park.  The article writers seem unconcerned with this, but you start getting into Section 104(f) impacts with doing such for roadway projects.


Alex

Driving back from Mobile to Pensacola on Wednesday night, I noticed that this sign was replaced with two new "Congestion Ahead When Flashing" signs and beacons. This is in addition to the one posted further east.



Also the left-hand lane drop just prior to the tunnel entrance was moved further back, probably in a band-aid effort to offset the now regular back ups eastbound.

Alex

Why amusement park's 'field of dreams' is creating congestion worries for coastal Alabama

QuoteThe OWA development is the first major construction project along the Foley Beach Express since the companion Baldwin Beach Express opened in 2014. Both express roads merge into one another and offer an alternative route for visitors to Alabama's beaches than the often packed Alabama 59.

County officials have pushed to keep the new $86.7 million Baldwin Beach Express road as an easy-flowing expressway to and from Interstate 10. They want it free from any inundation of traffic lights, curb cuts and cluttered commercial activity.

The amusement park, which will feature 20 rides and a giant roller coaster, will be constructed almost adjacent to the Foley Beach Express, which is inside Foley's city limits. The park is expected to be open by Memorial Day weekend.

"Of course there are traffic concerns," Elliott said. "We'll continue working with Foley and make sure we keep a limited access expressway so that it doesn't turn into another Highway 59."

The new development is west of the Foley Beach Express and north of County Road 20 (Miflin Road).

codyg1985

ALDOT has a placeholder page for project information regarding a DDI at I-10 and AL 181. http://rp.dot.state.al.us/I10_SR181/
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

roadwarrior

Regarding the Foley Beach Express toll bridge, I believe it was built by Fob James' son that ran for governor.  I'd like to find out if it's possible to make that bridge public and remove the toll.  I guess the gov't wants to weed out the private bridge. 

I really don't think tolls belong on a bridge that has been around for more than five years.  A toll should exist to pay for another road project getting built.  Then move it to another road.  Instead it always has to be either or.  Either its completely private and tolled forever or tolled forever by public bureaucrats just taking advantage of the public (ala NY/NJ).  The main problem with road projects getting off the ground is the general lack of private/public partnership.  Far more could get done.  And faster.

roadwarrior

ALDOT has finally started working on the long sidelined US 98 extension project in Mobile County.  It looks like they're only paving two of the four lanes. 

froggie

^^ The reason for tolls being on a bridge for more than 5 years is because it takes far longer than that for the tolls to actually pay off the design, construction, and maintenance of that bridge.  To try and get it paid off in only 5 years would require a toll so high that few would actually use it.

mwb1848

Quote from: roadwarrior on November 23, 2018, 12:10:30 AM
I'd like to find out if it's possible to make that bridge public and remove the toll.  ...
I really don't think tolls belong on a bridge that has been around for more than five years.  A toll should exist to pay for another road project getting built.  Then move it to another road.

The Foley Beach Express Toll Bridge is privately-owned. The company which owned it went bankrupt. It's now owned by a Bermuda-based guarantee company. Even if ALDOT wanted to buy it, I can't imagine why the guarantee company would sell it and pass-up on an on-going revenue stream.

https://www.nwitimes.com/business/transportation/when-good-toll-roads-go-bad/article_cfb056e1-87af-561a-934a-a67b900d9962.html

roadwarrior

Quote from: mwb1848 on November 26, 2018, 09:52:17 PM
Quote from: roadwarrior on November 23, 2018, 12:10:30 AM
I'd like to find out if it's possible to make that bridge public and remove the toll.  ...
I really don't think tolls belong on a bridge that has been around for more than five years.  A toll should exist to pay for another road project getting built.  Then move it to another road.

The Foley Beach Express Toll Bridge is privately-owned. The company which owned it went bankrupt. It's now owned by a Bermuda-based guarantee company. Even if ALDOT wanted to buy it, I can't imagine why the guarantee company would sell it and pass-up on an on-going revenue stream.

https://www.nwitimes.com/business/transportation/when-good-toll-roads-go-bad/article_cfb056e1-87af-561a-934a-a67b900d9962.html

Well, according to what you and Froggie have said, it sounds like there isn't much of a on-going revenue stream.  Sounds like a badly run business.  Maybe people need to begin to reinvent how to toll.  For a private bridge, is there something financially dragging down the revenues that isn't known to the public?  Is it actually fully private and subject to the forces of the market?  Because that would normally force a failing business to make changes instead of continuing with something that just isn't working.  I think society needs to rethink the way they handle these matters. 

cjk374

Quote from: roadwarrior on December 13, 2018, 08:45:33 PM
Quote from: mwb1848 on November 26, 2018, 09:52:17 PM
Quote from: roadwarrior on November 23, 2018, 12:10:30 AM
I'd like to find out if it's possible to make that bridge public and remove the toll.  ...
I really don't think tolls belong on a bridge that has been around for more than five years.  A toll should exist to pay for another road project getting built.  Then move it to another road.

The Foley Beach Express Toll Bridge is privately-owned. The company which owned it went bankrupt. It's now owned by a Bermuda-based guarantee company. Even if ALDOT wanted to buy it, I can't imagine why the guarantee company would sell it and pass-up on an on-going revenue stream.

https://www.nwitimes.com/business/transportation/when-good-toll-roads-go-bad/article_cfb056e1-87af-561a-934a-a67b900d9962.html

Well, according to what you and Froggie have said, it sounds like there isn't much of a on-going revenue stream.  Sounds like a badly run business.  Maybe people need to begin to reinvent how to toll.  For a private bridge, is there something financially dragging down the revenues that isn't known to the public?  Is it actually fully private and subject to the forces of the market?  Because that would normally force a failing business to make changes instead of continuing with something that just isn't working.  I think society needs to rethink the way they handle these matters. 

County Road 4 (IIRC...labeled as Cotton Creek Rd, then Brown Ln on Google maps) runs from AL 59 to the Foley Beach Expwy. This is how you shunpike the toll bridge.
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.

Alex

Passed through Mobile and Baldwin Counties in Lower Alabama for the first time in 4 years two weeks ago. Some observations:

The Buc-ee's built by the diamond interchange joining the Baldwin Beach Express (BBE) with Interstate 10 has resulted in so much congestion that traffic lights were added for the westbound exit ramp from I-10 to the BBE and along the BBE at CR 64 (900 feet's worth is now Buc-ee's Boulevard), just south of the exchange: https://www.fox10tv.com/news/baldwin_county/changes-coming-to-baldwin-beach-express-buc-ees-exit-to-help-alleviate-traffic/article_960c3984-5270-11ea-8629-8fb54ffd1aa2.html
Furthermore the eastbound exit ramp is in the process of being expanded specifically to service Buc-ee's, with Buc-ee's covering the cost: https://mynbc15.com/news/local/buc-ees-road-project-aims-to-relieve-traffic-headache-at-no-cost-to-taxpayers



A new APL for Exit 49 from Interstate 10 eastbound.

I was amazed at how much traffic got off at that exit on Friday. It used to be once you got east past SR 59, traffic opened up. This is likely to increase, as in addition to the traffic generated by the Buc-ee's, land at two of the other quadrants of the interchange are zoned as a "Commercial District" per the Baldwin County GIS Viewer.

Two of the three signs replaced in kind for Exit 38/SR 181 on I-10 eastbound are missing exit tabs.

Someone definitely dusted off the old sign plans again, as US 31 was added back on guide signage on I-10 westbound for Exit 30! The last time US 31 was signed here was the mid 1990s. No photos as it was at night. Signs along eastbound remain unchanged.

US 90 along Bay Bridge Road was renamed Africatown Boulevard by Mobile City Council back in 2016. Sign changes have finally beed made for this, including some really bad "greenouts" on the slotted overheads for US 90 on I-165 southbound. Saw these at night in the opposite direction, so unfortunately I did not get any photos.

While it was raining and dark, I could see the reflection of regulatory signs for the SR 158 Extension/Future US 98 beyond the turn off south onto Newburn Road. So that stretch appears to be ready for traffic. Taking SR 217 to the southwest, there's a long elevated section of SR 158 now in place. The overpass that will take US 98 over CR 27 (McCrary Road) however has a way to go from what I could tell.

CR 63 on Wilmer Georgetown Road is closed for work on the new US 98. The ALDOT site on the project indicated that an interchange is being built there. Last I checked, it was just a one quadrant interchange.

Heading back east on I-10, expansion of the six lane section is underway west from the Carol Plantation Road overpass to the diamond interchange with CR 30/Theodore Daws Road. The second diagrammatic in each direction for I-65 on I-10 were both replaced with separate panels:



It appears that arrows are no longer necessary...

Really dumb carbon copy for Exit 1 / US 90 on I-65 northbound where Government Boulevard is still abbreviated as "Govt Blvd". Are we still trying to save space here for something?

The only signs changed at the south end of Interstate 65 are the set at the gore point for Exit 0. The respective control points of Florida and Mississippi were replaced with Pensacola and Pensacola, er Pascagoula.

The Wallace Tunnel was backed up as expected, so diverted at Virginia Avenue and headed north to US 98 along Govt Boulevard. Construction added a planted median in place of the continuous center turn lane along Broad Street. A roundabout was built in place of the intersection at Broad and Canal Streets as well.

North of Govt Boulevard, Broad Street is completely closed for a road diet project. There are no detour signs in place for US 90 or US 98, but the overhead assembly is still posted on Govt Boulevard east for US 90's continuation onto Broad Street north. Received no response, but I emailed ALDOT asking if they were going to apply to AASHTO for the realignment of US 98 onto the Wilmer/Semmes Bypass, and also about potential reailgnments of both US 98 and US 90 due to the rebuild of Broad and Beauregard Streets.

Conjecture here, but I imagine that US 98 will be realigned onto overlaps with I-65 and I-165 south to Bay Bridge Rd/Africatown Boulevard, and over US 90 south to Battleship Parkway. This would eliminate US 98 along Moffett Road and Spring Hill Avenue east to Broad Street. Furthermore US 90 would then overtake US 98 along Government Street and through the Bankhead Tunnel. This would allow the city of Mobile to take over maintenance for both Broad and Beauregard Streets along the Henry Arron Loop. US 45 would likely be truncated north to I-65, or perhaps SR 158/US 98, but I have no idea of what they might do with it should the other scenarios play out.

cbalducc

Is the four-laning of Highway 45 north of Mobile a project that should have been done long ago?

Georgia

Quote from: cbalducc on October 24, 2021, 01:31:57 PM
Is the four-laning of Highway 45 north of Mobile a project that should have been done long ago?

haha no, the traffic on it in no way justify a widening. 

formulanone

#388
Quote from: Georgia on October 25, 2021, 08:06:40 PM
Quote from: cbalducc on October 24, 2021, 01:31:57 PM
Is the four-laning of Highway 45 north of Mobile a project that should have been done long ago?

haha no, the traffic on it in no way justify a widening. 

I drove on it once 7 years ago and it was quite empty. But it was quite busy in both directions three weeks ago from Citronella to about Fruitdale, but then it thinned out a little at the state line.

But would ALDOT widen a route to serve Mississippi, though they've already four-laned US 45 throughout their state? Not sure if Citronelle wants it much wider, unless there's a bypass.

Georgia

AADT on the stretch just south of Fruitdale was 3458 in 2019 according to ALDOT's TDM webpage, 2020 went down a bit so I would consider 19 more accurate.  It has hovered in the 3400 range for the last few years. 

South of where SR 17 splits off, traffic does get into the 5k AADT but after that it takes until the first few counters off of 158 before you even hit 5 digits, and the absolute highest count since 2014 that I can find is 12,300 AADT just north of SR 158 from 2019. 

Alex

Mobile braces for "˜misery' and awaits "˜mother of all roundabouts' as McGregor Avenue projects approach

QuoteThe largest roundabout in the city of Mobile — coined the "mother of all roundabouts"  by one council member

QuoteThe road will be home of two major road projects, both which are separate from one another, starting in January.

Here's what they can expect:


  • A rebuild and streetscape project is set to begin after the new year and will extend from Old Shell Road north to the Museum Drive roundabout. The project is being financed by the city of Mobile ($2 million for the roadwork, drainage, sidewalks, and lighting) and $1.5 million to $2 million on water and sewer work paid by the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System.
  • A major overhaul of the road from Dauphin Street south to Airport Boulevard. Project estimate is $15 million. It is being financed with 80% federal money, with the local match coming from Mobile County's Pay As You Go road construction program. Part of the project includes the roundabout at Dauphin and McGregor, which is expected to be the largest in Mobile once it is completed, sometime in either late 2024 or early 2025. The city classifies the project as a "complete rebuild"  of McGregor that will include additional turn lanes, sidewalks, lighting, drainage, etc.

QuoteMobile City Engineer Nick Amberger said he anticipates the southern portion of McGregor's project, which will be completed sometime in the spring of 2025, becoming a traffic headache during construction.

Quote"I encourage people during construction, that if you don't live on that corridor or are not visiting a friend for some reason, or conducting business for some reason, to find another way,"  Amberger said. "Find another route. We don't want to put an extra burden on the neighbors."

Voyager75

#391
https://imgur.com/a/W5NyyF2

New overheads have gone up on the Foley Beach Express around CR-8 for the "Service Plaza"  in the past few weeks. Guess it's for tourists so they assume they have a nice Turnpike style facility to stop at just before the toll bridge but it's literally just the Shell station that sits in the middle of the roadway. There are development signs on the property to the north of the gas station which I guess could come to fruition and add some actual quick service restaurants or larger restrooms.



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