Up to $4 million needed to continue study for new river bridge

Apr. 13—Decatur will need $3 million to $4 million — potentially including federal, state and regional funds — to move forward with a feasibility study for a new Tennessee River bridge, officials said this week.

However, they could complete the study and begin design, engineering, right-of-way acquisition and construction in about two years if they get the necessary funding, said Jennifer Harper, TTL's lead consultant.

Harper presented a report at the council work session of the initial portion of the study her company did with Jacobs Engineering and Pugh Wright McAnally for the city over the last year.

A $1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission with a $1 million match from the city of Decatur funded a study needed because of heavy traffic congestion on the U.S. 31 causeway and Hudson Memorial bridges, compounded by congestion on the U.S. 65 bridge.

The City Council will vote at its 10 a.m. Monday meeting on whether to move forward and seek the money necessary to complete the next phase of the study.

Dewayne Hellums, director of the Decatur-area Metropolitan Planning Organization, has been leading the project for the city. He said funding sources haven't been discussed, but the bulk of the money will likely come from the federal or state levels and possibly regional sources like the cities of Huntsville and Madison or the counties of Limestone, Madison and Morgan.

Hellums said the study can't move forward without additional funding.

Council President Jacob Ladner said he thinks it's time for the Alabama Department of Transportation "to be a part of the project from a dollars standpoint. We will be looking to them to fund the study."

Ladner didn't rule out the city contributing more to the project "because this is a very important project to the future of the city. But we've done our part."

Councilman Carlton McMasters agreed, pointing out the discrepancy between the funding commitments by ALDOT to south and central Alabama compared to the amount north Alabama receives.

McMasters referred to a map prepared by the Huntsville Metropolitan Planning Organization, emphasized by Lt. Gov. Will Ainworth, R-Albertville, earlier this year in calls for new ALDOT leadership, that shows south Alabama projects with $3 billion in ALDOT commitments, including $2 billion for Mobile, and the Birmingham area receiving $2 billion while north Alabama is getting $192 million.

"It's time for the state to step up in north Alabama," McMasters said. "But we're also going to need some federal help, too."

Harper said the study needs to show a cost-benefit analysis so this project "rises higher on the list that other projects in the state and region." She pointed out that this bridge could impact four counties and eight cities.

"The next phase coming up has to include everyone around this area and their MPO plans," Harper said. "The feds wouldn't have it any other way."

Hellums said Madison, Huntsville, Athens and the counties of Madison, Morgan, Lawrence and Limestone received invitations to attend public meetings coordinated by TTL during preparation of the initial report. — TTL report

Harper said the report saved time and money by following the required planning and environmental linkage process that's recognized by the Federal Highway Administration.

She said they determined early in the process improvements are needed to the causeway and Hudson Memorial bridges to relieve traffic and safety issues.

Harper said they followed the process in looking at a 137-square-mile area that includes the causeway, river and reaches from Decatur to Tanner. They held two public meetings and multiple meetings with local government officials, local utilities and industries and other stakeholders in the last year.

"We are looking at everything we can to make sure it isn't a red flag that could stop this project," Harper said.

She said they narrowed 57 possible routes for a new bridge down to six possibilities. The study shows the six suggested routes for a new bridge with costs ranging from $200 million to $500 million.

The six routes proposed by TTL would impact Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area. Local Ducks Unlimited groups and other duck hunters expressed their opposition at the May public meeting to the bridge running through the management area.

Five of the six routes would connect to Beltline Road at Alabama 20, near Ascend Corp.

The shortest route alternative has its southern terminus on Wilson Street Northwest just west of the railroad bridge. It goes through a small corner of Swan Creek WMA and connects on the north side of the river to Alabama 20 at U.S. 31.

Harper said an important part of the study is reducing the amount of environmental permitting necessary for the project. She said now it's time for the TTL's environmental studies people to do the field work for each of the possible bridge routes.

She said they also need a more extensive traffic study which will be tied to ALDOT and Huntsville MPO traffic studies.

"We need to have a more expansive model of traffic across this bridge," she said.

Harper said they "really need to get down in the weeds" of which bridge route would be the most effective and the right selection for the area.

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432