Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roads And Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Engineer updates commissioners on road grant applications and pavement treatment concerns
Summary
The county engineer briefed the commission on applications for Rebuild Alabama and Logging Efficiency grants, an ALDOT notice about I-65 bridge widening, and operational concerns about county road surface treatment timing and contractor performance.
County Engineer Heath Sexton updated the commission on several road projects and grant opportunities, including a Rebuild Alabama application for County Road 42, the new Logging Efficiency Grant program, and ALDOT's proposed widening of I-65 bridges over Walnut Creek.
Sexton said the county will submit a Rebuild Alabama application by the Feb. 7 deadline for a project to widen 2.2 miles of County Road 42. He also reported on the Logging Efficiency Grant Fund Program through the Alabama Forestry Department, which awards up to $400,000 per applicant for bridge or culvert repair or replacement; the program has roughly $2 million available statewide each year.
Sexton described concerns about a surface-treatment (tar-and-gravel) test lane on County Road 49 that performed poorly in cooler weather. He said ALDOT specifications call for applying that material when temperatures are around 60 degrees and rising and that the county would prefer contractors adhere to seasonal limitations rather than use a waiver; Sexton recommended holding contractors to seasonal requirements after the test lane showed rock pickup on equipment and some adhesion problems.
Sexton also discussed options for surplusing a 2023 dump truck and described auction approaches: an absolute sale at a lower commission or a guaranteed-price sale at a higher commission. He recommended delaying disposal until the next meeting to seek a better guarantee from the auction vendor.
No formal votes were taken; the engineer said staff will pursue grant submissions and follow up with ALDOT and contractors as described.
