Commission delays strip-paving selections; discusses 2026 county transportation plan under Rebuild Alabama act

Jackson County engineers told the commission on July 28, 2025 that $200,000 earmarked for strip paving would buy roughly 2 miles of work and asked the commission to identify which candidate roads should receive the money. Staff said earlier selections covered work in two districts and that the additional $200,000 would be applied across the remaining candidate list; the countyengineer estimated the funds equate to about two miles of strip paving, converting to roughly three-quarters of a mile of hot-mix asphalt per district under current specifications. Commissioners agreed to delay naming specific roads until the next meeting because two commissioners were absent; staff said they would place the decision on new business at the next meeting so all commissioners can participate. Separately, staff presented the required 2026 county transportation plan under the 2019 Rebuild Alabama act. The plan lists county projects and shows the county match portions for three resurfacing projects that correspond with the first round of an SS4A grant previously approved. Staff stressed the figures show county match amounts, not the total project costs, and that the numbers are estimates for budgeting and transparency under state law. No final allocations or votes on the transportation plan were taken; staff asked to bring the strip-paving road-list and the transportation plan back as new-business items at the next meeting.