Hoover road projects on track

The City of Hoover’s road projects for 2013 are progressing, according to Mayor Gary Ivey.

The widening and resurfacing of Patton Chapel Road at the intersection of U.S. 31 is a project being conducted by Jefferson County. Ivey said he anticipates completion of the project by the end of June.

Nearby, the Chapel Lane Extension project, which will lengthen the road under I-459 to connect with Galleria Boulevard, was recently bolstered with additional funding from the city. Ivey said the nearly $6 million project is slated for completion by the end of the summer.

Also near the Riverchase Galleria, a widening project on U.S. 31 will add a full lane going each direction between the I-459 overpass and the bridge over the 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.

“We are scheduled to open bids the end of July on this project,” Ivey said. “The state will then proceed with an early award to get the contractor started on the project as quickly as possible.”

Finally, a realigning and resurfacing project for Alabama Highway 150 at its intersection with Galleria Boulevard has only recently entered the design phase.

“Construction will be a while yet,” Ivey said.