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Road projects coming to 31, Patton Chapel Road, more

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2013 is shaping up to be a banner year for infrastructure improvement in Hoover. With two major road projects already underway, Gov. Robert Bentley’s office announced in February that approximately $7 million would be headed to Hoover to fund six more.

According to Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey, Highway 31 south of I-459 will be easier to navigate come the holiday shopping season. A widening project that recently began will add a full lane going each direction between the I-459 overpass and the bridge over Cahaba River just south of Chace Lake – a distance of approximately a mile and a half.

To assist drivers travelling north, a full turn lane will be constructed at the I-459 interchange for drivers intending to go west on the interstate toward Tuscaloosa. Ivey said this would help reduce the bottleneck that sometimes spills onto the highway and impedes traffic flow.

Hoover’s portion of the bill for the widening project will be capped at $500,000, Ivey said – reflecting a 50 percent match with the State of Alabama up to $1 million. Any excess will be covered by the State.

Another project at Patton Chapel Road is expected to wrap up by late spring or early summer, Ivey said, adding that work at the site is actually two projects occurring simultaneously. The rerouting and resurfacing project for the connection to Patton Creek is being conducted by the City of Hoover, while the widening and resurfacing of Patton Chapel Road at the intersection of U.S. 31 is a Jefferson County project. Both projects are slated for competition in the same time frame.

The six additional projects in Hoover are part of the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP) announced by Gov. Bentley on Feb. 4 in a report. Hoover is listed as the local sponsor for three of the projects.

They are:

Three more projects are slated for Hoover this year in the report, but only the resurfacing of Rocky Ridge Road from Lorna Road to U.S. 280 is listed as having a local sponsor. Vestavia Hills’ portion is listed as $535,461.74 of the project’s $2,677,308 cost.

In addition, the ATRIP report lists an improvement project at the intersection of Shelby County 52 and Shelby County 93 at a total cost of $458,920 and resurfacing Valleydale Road between Caldwell Mill Road and U.S. 280 at a total cost of $1,216,270.

Ivey indicated that a widening project was also being considered for Valleydale Road, though it was likely two to three years away. He said projects listed on the ATRIP report were slated to commence this year.

“This is great for the city,” Ivey said. “This $7 million in improvements will help commerce and government operations. Hoover will both show better and flow better. And anytime you improve roads, you also improve the overall safety of the community.”

Also affecting Hoover residents is ALDOT’s intersection improvement plan for U.S. 280. The plan, introduced to the public in November 2012, involves upgrades to 27 intersections on the U.S. 280 corridor from Hugh Daniel Drive to Hollywood Blvd. in Homewood. ALDOT estimates the total cost of the project to be between $12 million and $15 million and for work to begin in April and be completed by November 2013.

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