Dothan gives timeline updates for Ross Clark Circle, West Main and other road projects

Tommy Bridal, Puddler works director for the City of Dothan, told the commission on July 1 that crews are completing storm-drain work and preparing crossover lanes at Ross Clark Circle, with construction milestones expected this summer and a final wearing surface targeted in September.

Bridal said APAC will resume heavy paving once storm inlets — being installed about every 75 to 100 feet — are complete, enabling crossover lanes and restored traffic flow. "We're looking at the July to actually get those crossover lanes constructed," Bridal said. He added that signal work and lighting are scheduled to follow the drainage and lane work and that the contractor hopes to place the final wearing surface in September, with overall cleanup and landscaping proceeding after that.

The update emphasized weather risks: "Everything we say has an asterisk with due to weather moving forward," Bridal said. Heavy rain has repeatedly slowed work, Bridal said, and crews may be unable to complete tasks until drier conditions return.

Bridal described a multi-stage paving approach: initial leveling across the project's footprint, followed later by a final wearing surface. He said portions of the corridor will be resurfaced twice to correct an existing "roller-coaster" ride and that some medians will be modified but kept open where needed for business access.

The Ross Clark Circle update was one element of a larger briefing on city roadway projects. Tommy Bridal detailed additional work at a 231 South intersection near Ross Clark Circle, West Main at John De Odom, and an ATRIP-funded West Main project that would restore an eastbound lane into downtown. On the ATRIP project, Bridal said the city has agreements in place and consultants are doing borings and survey work; the city is under pressure to finish design by year-end so the project can be let next winter. "If that's the case, it's probably gonna be close to 1 year I would I put a 1 year construction time on this one," Bridal said of that project.

Bridal also said the city is coordinating with ALDOT on an ITS (intelligent transportation systems) project that will add roadside cantilever-style digital signs (not overhead gantries) to broadcast real-time traffic information. He said those signs come from a separate funding pot and are intended to help direct traffic during events or incidents.

Commissioners and the mayor pressed for careful temporary patching on Main Street and other areas awaiting ALDOT resurfacing. The mayor asked that patching be durable if there will be an extended wait before final paving; Bridal agreed, noting repeated settling can cause new asphalt to fail if temporary repairs are not done well.

Formal action tied to the Ross Clark Circle work came earlier in the meeting when the commission approved a final change order with Video Industrial Services Inc. for video inspection of the sanitary sewer trunk line inside Ross Park Circle. The resolution (2025-159) reduced the contract by $135,486.50, making the final adjusted contract price $218,213.50. The commission approved the change order by voice vote.

Why it matters: Ross Clark Circle and linked corridors are major traffic arteries for Dothan; staggered lane openings and signal work change traffic patterns and business access and require coordination with ALDOT and contractors. Residents and businesses should expect intermittent lane closures and phased openings through the fall, and the city warned that schedules remain weather-dependent.

Looking ahead: Bridal said the city expects to see the bulk of traffic operations restored when crossover lanes open in July and that final paving and landscaping will continue into the fall. The city also plans further coordination with ALDOT at an upcoming quarterly meeting to discuss signage and other elements of the larger corridor work.