Governor Ivey Awards $2M For Highway 43 Widening Project

NORTHPORT, AL — State Rep. Rodney Sullivan, a Republican from Northport, announced on Tuesday that a grant application for $2 million was approved by Gov. Kay Ivey for the widening of U.S. Highway 43 from Mitt Lary Road to Paul Howell Road.

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According to state records, the project will see Highway 43 expanded from two lanes to four lanes over the aforementioned stretch, along with intersection improvements at Paul Howell Road. The total cost of the project will come out to $2,010,258.63, with $10,258.63 coming from a local match.

"Our local legislative delegation has worked hard to insure that our tax dollars are coming back home to our community," he said.

The local announcement comes after Ivey and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) announced that more than $45 million in funding is being awarded to cities and counties for various road and bridge projects.

Another Tuscaloosa project will see intersection improvements at SR-215 and 2nd Avenue, including adding a right turn lane on SR-215 and extending the existing left turn lane. The project will also add a 10-foot shared use path along SR-215. The cost of this project is listed at $2.5 million, while $1.75 million will come from local funds.

The funding is made available through the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program-II (ATRIP-II), a program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act. Rebuild Alabama requires to program to set aside a minimum of $30 million off the top of ALDOT’s share of new gas tax revenue for projects of local interest on the state highway system.

A total of 27 projects were selected for funding for a total of $45.99 million. Ivey's office said, of those awarded projects, 20 were from cities and counties putting forward local funds, for a total of approximately $15.7 million. The governor's announcement then expressed anticipation that a number of projects will be under contract during the 2021 fiscal year, however all projects are required to move forward within two years of the awarding of funds.

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