Roads, roads, everywhere...

An insightful reader has noticed that much of the recent news has focused on expansion and refurbishment of area roadways, without paying much attention to the other pieces of the transit puzzle - namely, public and alternative transportation.

There's a very good reason why, but it's one that touches off of a lot of nerves around here. Yes...  as usual, the issue lies with the (in)famous Alabama Constitution of 1901. ALDOT's interpretation of the state constitution prohibits it from funding transportation projects other than the construction and refurbishment of roads and bridges. There's a useful fact sheet that summarizes the key issues: Alabama Roadblock - Our Public Transit Gap .

Without trying to editorialize too heavily, this restrictive interpretation of ALDOT's mission has set Alabama's public and alternative transit back by decades. In most states, municipal transit ventures depend on matching funding contributions from state governments to get started. Even in the absence of state funding, Alabama's cities have created public transit systems, but cities have had to shoulder the entire cost of such projects. If the Huntsville Shuttle is any reflection, the consequence is transit systems which offer outdated equipment, limited routes, and a level of service that doesn't meet the needs of the community. This also makes it difficult to create transit systems serving regional areas across multiple cities or counties.

The story is much the same when it comes to alternative transit: ALDOT's attitude is that it isn't their business, and the weight of burden lies with local communities to encourage transit alternatives and improvements and to construct such amenities as bike paths. Ironically, the failure to adopt such alternatives increases the long-term expense of maintaining and improving area roadways. Given the sheer cost of road projects (such as the $3 million/mile figure for the current AL-53 widening), alternative transit and effective public transit would create a useful increase in the capacity of area roads at lower cost.

Until we see reform in Constitutional language and the attitudes of state lawmakes, the status quo will continue. The most effective way to press for alternative transit will be to lobby local officials to demand such services and to support existing transit alternatives. A pre-BRAC study commissioned by the City of Huntsville showed that road construction alone will not solve congestion issues, and alternative transit means need to be considered.

Outlook 2021

On Sunday, the Huntsville Times ran its Outlook 2021 section, featuring a host of articles about what the Huntsville area will look like 10 years from now. An article on road projects provided a good refresher of the area's road construction progress and what remains to be done. Here are some of the major projects on the schedule:

• 2012: Complete widening of AL-255 between University Dr. and AL-53.
• Sparkman and Max Luther overpasses of Mem'l Pkwy to be completed late in year.
• Begin widening of Old Madison Pike between Slaughter Rd. and Thornton Research Park
• Construct I-565 interchange at County Line Rd.
• 2014: Build 3-lane southbound bridge for US-231 (Mem'l Pkwy) at Tennessee River
• 2016: Build Mem'l Pkwy overpasses at Byrd Spring and Lily Flagg; redesign Martin Rd. interchange.
• 2017: Begin final phase of AL-53 widening from Pinedale Rd. to state line in Ardmore. 

Several projects will take place within the Huntsville city limits:

"The city has plans to widen Martin Road from Zierdt Road to Laracy Drive; widen Zierdt Road from Martin Road to Madison Boulevard; and widen Zierdt Road from Martin Road to Beadle Lane; and smaller projects on U.S. 72 at Balch, Nance and Jeff roads.

Widening of Meridian Street between Pratt and Oakwood avenues has begun, and the widening and relocation of Church Street between Monroe Street and Oakwood Avenue is set to start next year.

The city also intends to improve the intersection at U.S. 431 and Dug Hill Road this year, widen Winchester Road from Dominion Circle to Naugher Road, and extend Greenbrier Road from I-565 to Browns Ferry Road to create a connection with the I-65 interchange at Tanner."

Targeting Congestion

Lately, there has been plenty of talk related to the new Target store opening in northwest Madison in 2012. But the focus hasn't been so much on Target but rather its soon-to-be neighbor across the street - Wal-Mart - and the impacts of two new big-box stores on already-congested US-72.

It's not surprising that Wal-Mart and Target are choosing to expand in the westerly direction. These stores are following the path of development to western Madison Co. and eastern Limestone. However, only one major road carries all of the traffic from this area to Huntsville - U.S. Highway 72. As noted in an Huntsville Times article on US-72 , the road is shaping up to be one of the area's most congested corridors.

Relief isn't coming any time soon, either. Although the widening of US-72 to seven lanes to the county line is in the ALDOT transportation plan, the project's $16 million price tag is not funded. Regional governments have approached Governor Bentley to ask for $2.5 million to fund the engineering studies needed for the expansion. In any case, it will be years before that stretch of US-72 is widened. Once the road is widened, more development will follow, meaning that the corridor will only be relieved of congestion for a few years after widening completes.

What can be done in the meantime, given that road widening isn't a near term option? The usual pieces of advice apply:

• Carpool: It's always a good way to reduce the load on area roads, and it's something that can be done right away. The traffic volume on the stretch of US-72 is more than 300,000 vehicles each day. Even if only a small percentage of this volume carpools, it will be a difference in terms of congestion. With so many area residents commuting to Research Park or Redstone Arsenal, this area is ideally suited to carpooling. Huntsville and Madison have the responsibility to aggressively promote carpooling and offer incentives.
• Park-and-Ride: The area is overdue for Park-and-Ride bus services. Think of it as carpooling, taken a step further. The cost of operating a Park-and-Ride route from the county line to Research Park is much, much less than the cost of widening US-72. To further reduce costs, low-use Huntsville Shuttle routes should be retired and re-purposed as Park-and-Ride routes along congested corridors. This has the added benefit of making the Huntsville Shuttle more profitable for the city, and it provides an immediate solution to congestion as well.
• Transit: Convenient transit around Research Park and Redstone Arsenal would go a long way toward helping carpoolers and park-and-ride commuters get where they need to go.

I know what you're thinking... "Carpooling and transit will never work here, because everyone loves their cars!"  That may be true...  but just how much fun is it to drive a car in traffic at a complete standstill? Clearly, congestion on US-72 is going to get worse before it gets better, and there's no road-widening solution in sight. We've reached the tipping point where alternatives - buses and carpools - need to be considered, because there aren't any other good options.

Highway 53 Update

The widening of AL-53 north of Huntsville has been on the books for some two decades. Now, there is hope that some progress can be made on this project.

A December 3 bid sheet announced that Reed Contracting of Huntsville had the low big on a contract to widen 4.6 miles of AL-53 between Jeff Road and AL-255 (Research Park Blvd.). Recently, the Huntsville Times stated that Reed would begin construction starting March 7. Reed is already working a number of other big projects in the area, including the widening of the freeway portion of Research Park Blvd. in the same vicinity.

Eventually, the state plans to widen AL-53 to four or five lanes from Huntsville to the Tennessee state line. However, progress has been impeded by funding shortfalls and, more recently, lawsuits. A right-of-way dispute over property near Burwell Rd. has further delayed the widening, and ALDOT is currently in court to resolve the issue. (link)

Ailing Bridges Force Costly Detours

From an article in the Decatur Times Daily, school buses are being forced to detour around decrepit bridges in the area. The detours incur substantial additional mileage, costing school systems money and resulting in much longer bus rides for students.

In Lauderdale County, detours around the present 20 decrepit bridges cost the school system an additional $340,000 in fuel costs. The average cost of bridge replacement, according to the article, is $125,000. For the price of the extra fuel, nearly three bridges could be upgraded each year. The longer the bridges are left ill-maintained, the more money is wasted. The story is similar in other counties in North Alabama.

The county road engineers claim that there is not enough money to replace ailing bridges with the appropriate frequency. Considering the extra costs to the school systems - not to mention the impediment such bridges pose to economic development - it seems like updating infrastructure should be a top priority.

Winchester Road Update

Winchester Road Widening

Winchester Road, a heavily traveled secondary arterial, is being surveyed for future widening according to a Huntsville Times article.

A stretch of Winchester Road near Moores Mill Road has been under construction since 2008. In 2013, Phase 1 construction will extend the widened portion of the road to Naugher Road.  The second phase, starting in 2018, will extend the widening to Bell Factory Road and will include bike lanes and sidewalks.

Old Madison Pike Widening

An article in the Huntsville Times reports that the city of Huntsville will be accepting public comments regarding the widening of Old Madison Pike between Slaughter Rd. and the Thornton Research Park.

From the article:

"The city and the state Department of Transportation have scheduled a March 1 public hearing for the project's corridor and design. The hearing will be from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Pope John Paul II Catholic High School multipurpose room at 7310 Old Madison Pike. The easiest way to reach the room is from the back of the school."

The article states that the proposed widening will include four lanes with a grass median and new bridges over Indian Creek. No mention is given as to whether bike lanes would be incorporated. As a connector to the multi-modal transit hub at Bridge Street, it would be great to add bike lanes to this road.