Commission discusses potential road projects, prioritization

While most county roads receive good ratings in Shelby County, there is plenty to be done, according to County EngineerRandy Cole.

During a work session following its April 24 meeting, the Shelby County Commission sat down with Cole and Chief Engineer Scott Holladay to discuss potential projects, changes in funding and prioritization.

Cole and Holladay broke down discussion of roads in multiple parts — new and existing Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP) projects, existing projects requiring additional funding, new projects with unspecified funding and the unimproved road program.

“You will see a lot of numbers over here,” said County Manager Alex Dudchock, in reference to packets passed out by Cole. “I would recommend that right now you don’t focus on cost and the extended numbers. You, as a county commissioner, think project-wise, ‘what, where and what the objectives are’ as far as enhancement, capacity, improvements and so forth.”

During the commission’s May 22 meeting, which took place after press time, Dudchock said the commission would discuss a six-month fiscal year 2017 update and cover capital improvement funds “to address projects that then can be pledged toward these and others.” The discussion would include taking money out of the county’s general fund and putting it toward more capital improvement projects, something it has not been able to do since the Great Recession.

Before proceeding, Cole emphasized that the list they were discussing was not a set plan, and that other projects could come forward even before some projects on the list were reached. 

“This is a project list on things that we presently have in some state, be it design, construction, finalizing or maybe it’s just a twinkle in our eye,” he said. “These are projects we have identified.”

ATRIP PROJECtS

ATRIP projects within the county are ones that already have been started, and funding has been allotted for those projects, Cole said. The county is working on bridges in three areas — County Road 52 over the Cahaba River, County Road 52 over Buck Creek, County Road 441 over Lick Branch in Wilsonville and a reconstruction of Cahaba Beach Road and its bridge.

“That’s replacing a bridge that goes over Cahaba Beach. It’s going to tie Sicard Hollow in Jefferson County with Cahaba Beach Road in Shelby County,” Cole said. “Then there will be a connector between 280 and Vestavia, and that one is going to take a while.”

The project, in conjunction with ALDOT, was listed with more than $350,000 in engineering costs, $200,000 in right-of-way acquisition costs and about $4.43 million for the county’s 20-percent match on construction and utilities. All of those costs were estimates, Cole said. The right-of-way costs reflect just what is in Shelby County, but there is a good bit of right-of-way needed in Jefferson County as well.

Other ATRIP projects included resurfacing County Road 17 in Helena and County 28 in Columbiana and two intersection and safety projects on County Road 52 in Helena.

EXISTING PROJECtS

A majority of existing projects, meaning those that are in motion but require additional funding, were bridges. The county has two federal aid bridges — one on County Road 24 over Alabama 119 and one on County Road 55in Sterrett. 

There are also multiple bridges requiring rehabilitation, including two over Yellowleaf Creek — at County Road 51 between Chelsea Park and Westover, and at Crenshaw Road. There is also a bridge on County Road 47 over Weaver Creek, about halfway between Chelsea and Columbiana. The bridge projects are on the to-do list, but there is no set date on any of the projects, Cole said.

 “There’s a ton of projects on here, but we don’t have funding for all of these projects. I just want to make that clear,” said Commissioner Jon Parker.

The county has federal aid projects already underway, Cole said, including work on Caldwell Mill Road, or County Road 29, from Heatherwood to Camp Horner Road. This particular project has been ongoing for several years, Cole said.

The County Road 29 project is a joint venture between Jefferson and Shelby counties, and it has been close to 19 years since it first got approved, Cole said. It still has not reached the construction phase — an extended timeline that he said is not uncommon with federal aid projects.

The county is also working on a project on County Road 17 from Caldwell Mill to U.S. 280, a joint project with Hoover. 

NEW PROJECtS

For new projects, meaning ones that the county has not started but could take on in the next few fiscal years, Cole listed bridge replacement projects and roadway projects.

A notable area was the intersection of County roads 47 and 39 in Chelsea, in front of City Hall. Cole said estimates for that project were about $6 million to reconfigure or re-engineer that intersection.

“Well, we don’t have over $6 million to put toward that,” Cole said. “Mayor [Tony] Picklesimer has said he would come forward and help us with that. Whether we do that in phases internally or whether we go for federal aid and try to come up with a match is dependent on the scope of work.”

An APPLE grant, which will see if the project can use federal aid, has been funded, and Cole and Picklesimer will have a meeting about that grant in June. Picklesimer also was present at the work session.

Other new projects listed included intersection improvements at Old U.S. 280 and County Road 11 in Chelsea, completed three lanes on Cahaba Valley Road from Cahaba Valley Trace to Doug Baker Boulevard, and completing three lanes on Cahaba Valley Trace from Caldwell Mill Road to Cahaba Valley Road.

PRIORITIES

After Cole introduced the list of potential projects, Commissioner Lindsey Allison asked how he was prioritizing the projects. While there are several factors that go into which projects are taken on first, Cole said a top priority for him is repaving roads that have been neglected — mainly three-digit roads that do not have a high volumeof traffic.

Repaving for those roads is typically pushed off or delayed due to a more pressing need on another, higher-volume road, Holladay said. Next up would be funding ATRIP projects and bridges, which Cole said “are our Achilles’ heel.”

Even though all of those factors are taken into account, Cole said “things are fluid,” adding that sometimes things get shuffled around to accommodate a new pressure on resources due to new developments or other items. But some projects stick out, Cole said.

“The No. 1 priority as the county engineer, that I think we need to address, is the problem on 39 and 47 in Chelsea. That is a safety issue. It’s not a potential safety issue; it’s a safety issue,” Cole said, noting potential train and car collisions or traffic  that can back up too close to the tracks or queue up on the tracks. “We need to do some work out there on a safety basis.”

When Allison asked if safety ranked after repaving, then ATRIP and then bridges, Cole said safety is not that clear-cut of aranking factor.

“Safety is in the mix, but so many of these projects you can’t rate,” Cole said. “How do you rate the safety of widening Kent Dairy Road or Thompson Road, against improving the intersection of 22 and 12? They all need to be done; they’re big.”

Sometimes partnerships will arise where a municipality comes forward and offers to help fund the project. If that happens, “then that needs to move up the chain,” Cole said.

No matter Cole’s prioritization process, or what he sees as a top need, Dudchock told the commissioners they are the ones with the final decision.

“The prioritization, after recommendations from staff, needs to be something that you have a lot of discernment on,”Dudchock said. 

For updates on the conversation involving road projects, go to 280living.com.