Numerous road projects to start this year in Dothan

Nearly a dozen road construction and resurfacing projects will make city travel more difficult for the remainder of this year and much of next.

City Traffic Engineer and street supervisor Charles Metzger said many of these projects, totaling several million dollars, are on Dothan’s major thoroughfares, including U.S. 231, Ross Clark Circle, and Westgate Parkway.

Metzger said drivers can expect delays and possible detours, making the morning drive even more hectic and congested.

“Dothan does not have an interstate system,” Metzger said. “The Circle and 231 are local streets for us. They are also through routes for out-of-towners. They are truck routes with seasonal traffic.

“Because of that, you have parents trying to get their kids to school and truckers trying to get to Michigan. There’s lots of variation.”

Contracts are currently being bid on new projects as work is ongoing on others. Some are being paid for with President Obama’s stimulus package funds, while others are strictly local projects. A number of the projects are being paid for through the 1-cent sales tax increase.

“This is exciting to get these things rolling,” Metzger said. “We’ve had delays and some of these projects we have talked about and looked for six to eight years.

“A lot of this 1-cent sales tax money has made these projects possible. It keeps our resurfacing projects going. It’s one thing to talk about it, but it’s something else to put it on the ground.”

Here’s an update on planned projects:

— Citywide resurfacing. As part of the city’s annual capital improvement resurfacing, about 16 miles of city streets, in all six districts, will be resurfaced. That $1.4 million project is set to begin this week if weather permits. Included in this project are Denton Road inside the Circle, from Montgomery Highway to the Circle; Range Street; the parking lot at the Dothan Civic Center and numerous residential streets.

— Westgate and Honeysuckle roads resurfacing. The Metropolitan Planning Organization is receiving $1.4 million in stimulus money to pay for resurfacing the five lanes of Westgate Parkway from U.S. 231 to U.S. 84; and Honeysuckle Road from 84 to South Park Avenue. Resurfacing could begin in late 2009 or early 2010.

— Fortner Street. This $3 million project to widen, put in turn lanes and realign the Fortner Street/Honeysuckle Road intersection, will be bid in the next few weeks. The city is nearing right of way completion. The intersection will be four-laned from the Fortner Street side and five-laned on Honeysuckle. A bridge at Harvest Church is being replaced with a culvert. Utility relocation could begin in July or August; this is an 18-month project. Traffic count at the intersection is 20,000-plus a day.

— John D. Odom resurfacing. This $1 million to $1.5 million project must be designed and approved by the Alabama Department of Transportation because of the use of $170,000 in state funds. The project involves resurfacing from U.S. 231 to U.S. 84 and includes adding left turn lanes at Burbank and at the Whatley Drive intersection, where a signal light will also be installed. The project will be bid both with and without bike lanes, which will require additional storm drainage work and widening. Bike lanes would go from Westbrook to Murphy Mill Road and would expand the length of the project from six months to 12 months. This would be the city’s first bike path.

— Cottonwood/Saunders/Beverlye/Forrester intersection. This city/county/state project has been delayed because of flood damage to other roads. The state will install turn lanes on Cottonwood Road. ALDOT will decide if there is a signal light installed at the intersection. The project carries an approximate $500,000 to $750,000 price tag. Cottonwood Road is a state road.

— Westgate Parkway. This $14 million to $16 million five-laning project is well underway and the portion of Denton Road south of Westgate is now open. The road is closed north of Westgate, where this highly-traveled intersection is being reconfigured. This project could be completed this year. All of Denton Road north and south of Westgate should be open by July.

— Murray Road and Whatley Drive. MPO funds will pay to resurface Murray Road from Denton to 431 North and Whatley Drive from Shady Lane to Westgate Parkway.

— Burdeshaw Street outside the Circle. The contract has been let for this ongoing $1 million state-funded project.

— Carroll Street and Park Avenue. This intersection will be realigned and possibly signalized.

Other projects further out on the horizon include a plan to 5-lane Denton Road from south of Westgate Parkway to Ross Clark Circle. Design work will begin soon, but construction is several years down the road. The project is being funded with MPO dollars.

In addition, ALDOT continues work on U.S. 231 North. Metzger said his office receives a lot of calls about the traffic lights in the area of the Pavilion. The loop detectors in the pavement are not functioning because of roads being dug up, so the lights are on a pre-timed cycle.

The new signal system will have video cameras to run traffic, Metzger said. These will be installed at both entrances to Wiregrass Commons Mall; at Westgate; Redmond Road; Murphy Mill; Plum Road; and John D. Odom.

The next phase of the ALDOT project will be improvements to the Circle from 231 to 84 West. Stimulus money is also paying for the resurfacing of the Circle from 84 East to 231 South.

“This year and in 2010, there will be a lot of road construction,” Metzger said.