Highway 119 Widening Project Put On Hold

SHELBY COUNTY, AL - The busy corridor at Alabama 119 in Shelby County has been due for a widening project, but that project will now be put on hold. The unexpectedly high cost of the project was a reason giving for its postponement.

A report by the Birmingham Business Journal said Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon realized the cost to widen Alabama 119 between Fulton Springs Road and Veterans Park is more than was originally estimated.

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The Alabaster City Council approved $325,076 for Goodwyn Mills and Cawood to design the project. The council first signed on with the engineering firm in 2014. The project calls for a total of five lanes — two travel lanes in each direction and a center turn lane south of Fulton Springs Road to just south of Veterans Park.

The state approved approximately $10 million in funding for the project through its Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program in 2012. A potential $15,000 grant may help offset the costs of the project, however.

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