MONROVIA – Madison County Commissioner Phil Vandiver says drivers across northwest Madison County will soon notice a long list of construction projects aimed at improving safety and easing congestion.
From new roundabouts to widening efforts, District 4 has more than a dozen major road projects in motion and residents have plenty to say about it.
Vandiver, who represents the Monrovia, Harvest, Tony, and Bobo communities, recently shared a Facebook post detailing current and planned improvements. The post quickly drew more than 300 comments, offering firsthand feedback from residents about where road work is most needed.
“I think that’s very important from a leadership standpoint,” Vandiver said. “Sometimes I don’t really know exactly how it’s affecting everybody. So to get a chance to hear from our constituents like that, I think it’s a step that’s maybe even better than holding town hall meetings because people will be pretty blunt on social media.”
The top priority: safety
While dozens of projects are planned, Vandiver said the most critical is the intersection at McKee and Wall Triana.
“That was our number one intersection for wrecks,” he said. “That was the easy choice to get that one started and moving.”
The project is under construction and expected to wrap up within the next few months.
Other intersections under construction include Pulaski Pike and Patterson, and Pettus and Pine Grove.
Seven of the ongoing efforts are funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, with a tight deadline for completion next fall.
The full list of projects
Among the highlights from Vandiver’s project update:
- Under construction: Pulaski Pike/Patterson; McKee/Wall Triana (roundabout); Pettus/Pine Grove (roundabout).
- Utility relocation phase: Pettus/Nick Davis; ORRB/Orvil Smith/Lockhart; McKee/ORRB; McKee/Jeff; Wall Triana widening; Blake Bottom widening.
- Engineering/design phase: ORRB/Nick Davis; Yarbrough/Wall Triana; Toney/Pulaski Pike/Herbert Clark; Jeff/Kelly Spring; ORRB/Ready Section.
- Major widenings: Jeff Road (design 80% complete, awaiting ROW purchase); Wall Triana widening; Blake Bottom widening.
- Working with ALDOT: Alabama Highway 53/Wall Triana and Highway 53/Ready Section (traffic study complete, improvements needed); Highway 53/Burwell (awaiting ALDOT public announcement).
Keeping up with growth
Vandiver said northwest Madison County was among the first parts of the county to grow, and the road network has struggled to keep up.
“Our roads are just packed right now,” he said. “And we also live so close to Limestone County that many of those folks come through our roads to get to work in Huntsville and on the arsenal.”
While growth brings challenges, Vandiver said roundabouts and widening projects will ease congestion and improve safety.
“Congestion turns into a safety issue. If it’s congested and you have to pull out in front of somebody with less distance than you’d like, that’s when wrecks happen,” he said.
Listening to residents
Vandiver said he takes residents’ feedback seriously, reviewing and categorizing each of the hundreds of comments left on his post.
“I marked how many requests there were for each project,” he said. “About 75% of the requests that were made, we already had plans to correct.”
For Vandiver, social media has become an essential tool for public service.
“It’s a good place to have a correspondence with your commissioner,” he said. “As long as people keep it civil, it’s a great way for us to listen, learn, and make the best decisions possible.”
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