View full sizeThe Memorial Parkway overpasses at Max Luther and Sparkman drives, shown here in a February file photo, are expected to open in a few months, and may be the last overpasses to be built on the Parkway for years. (The Huntsville Times/Dave Dieter)HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Cutting federal spending to reduce the national debt could delay for years the start of construction on the Memorial Parkway overpasses at Byrd Spring and Lily Flagg roads.
The service roads for the project from north of Martin Road to the new overpasses at Whitesburg Drive and Weatherly Road are targeted for construction to begin in fiscal 2015, said Johnny Harris, the Alabama Department of Transportation division engineer for this area.
He said construction on the main Parkway lanes and overpasses would probably not start before fiscal 2018 based on the 2015 construction start for the service roads. If construction starts in 2018, motorists wouldn't be driving on the overpasses before 2020.
But, Harris added, all of those dates and plans could change depending on how much money Congress makes available to the state when it passes a transportation bill.
Without more money from the federal and state governments, the DOT "is faced with the reality" of using most of its money to maintain existing roads and bridges . That makes money available for increased capacity projects such as the Memorial Parkway overpasses "less available and more competitive statewide," Harris said.
"This situation could lead to an even longer timeline for scheduling and completion of projects of this nature," he said.
The Senate adopted a two-year, $109 billion transportation bill on Wednesday on a 74-22 vote. It doesn't appear the House, which has drafted a different version of a transportation bill, will adopt a transportation bill before the end of the month.
The Senate bill authorizes more money to be spent than federal gasoline taxes are expected to generate for the federal highway trust fund. That means money would have be taken from another source to supplement road construction. House members don't want to spend more money than the trust fund takes in.
State DOT Director John Cooper told the North Alabama Transportation Foundation in August that the state could lose up to $200 million of federal highway money each year if Congress adopts the House bill.
If the state loses that money, Cooper said in August, the state would not build any new roads "because it will take every penny we have" to maintain existing roads.
Congress normally adopts a five-year transportation authorization bill, but the last bill expired in 2009. Congress has kept highway money flowing to the states with a series of continuing resolutions.
Harris said the overpass work will be done in two separate projects -- building the service roads tentatively starting in 2015 and building the through lanes no sooner than 2018.
The state last year awarded APAC Mid-South a $355,846 contract to remove vegetation along the right of way in the project area.
Jeff Road work
We might be late with this news, but Jeff Road between U.S. 72 and Capshaw Road reopened Tuesday.
Phil Lewis had sent us a question asking how long the road would be closed.
The road, which is Jeff Road north of U.S. 72 and Slaughter Road south of U.S. 72, is being widened to five lanes from about 1,000 feet south of U.S. 72 to about one-half mile north of U.S. 72.
The project started in April and was to be completed by Dec. 30, but work was delayed several months for utilities to be moved. The project is now expected to be completed in about six months.
The city awarded SJ&L Contracting a $2.1 million contract for the work.
To leave a comment or question about traffic or roads, contact Keith Clines at 256-532-4236, email keith.clines@htimes.com, tweet @KeithClines or fax 256-532-4420.