More federal road money available this year for local projects
Apr. 19—More federal money is available for road projects this year, but they must be construction-ready so local officials are reviewing projects that might qualify.
Aaron Dawson, planning and program team leader for the Alabama Division of the Federal Highway Administration, told the Decatur-area Metropolitan Planning Organization recently that FHA has $253 million in "excess obligation" funds available this year for Alabama and its cities and counties.
Dawson said his reason for attending the meeting was to inform the MPO, a group consisting of local mayors, councilmen and Alabama Department of Transportation officials that manage federal, state and local funding for road and bridge projects, of additional money that's available this year.
"The Federal Highway Administration has a unique, first-time-I've-seen-it-in-my-career situation," Dawson said.
Dawson said this isn't new money that would increase the MPO's bank balance.
"What we do have nationwide is a glut of obligation authority, the ability to spend what you already have on the books," he said.
Dawson said the Highway Administration typically has between $1 billion and $2 billion nationwide of excess obligation authority for the annual August redistribution. The big states like California, Texas, Florida and New York usually take most of the pot.
However, this year they're estimating the amount will be about $8 billion nationwide because of the Transportation Reauthorization Act approved in 2021.
"This is a unique situation in which people might accelerate their projects or develop new projects based on money you haven't had in the past," Dawson told the MPO.
Dawson said Alabama's state government used the entire $70 million it received last year. However, he said the state can't spend all of $253 million this year by itself, so there's plenty of money available for local projects.
But he admitted it is "likely impossible" for local cities and municipalities to use all or most of the money because it takes time to develop road projects.
Decatur City Engineer Carl Prewitt said improving Bibb-Garrett Road is one project that might qualify because the engineering is complete. This project starts where the new Alabama 20 overpass ends in Decatur-annexed Limestone County, runs north and then jogs west to the railroad tracks and Airport Road.
Prewitt said the initial cost estimate that he did several years ago on this roughly 1-mile project is $5 million, but inflation is driving up costs.
MPO Director Dewayne Hellums said they don't have any construction-ready projects, but, with recent prices, they could use the money for cost overruns.
Curtis Vincent, ALDOT North Region engineer, said one possibility for using overrun money is on Decatur's lighting project on the U.S 31 causeway and Hudson Memorial bridges.
Bids on this project came in $1 million over the $837,140 the city had budgeted, so city officials plan to negotiate the low bid down or possibly rebid the project.
Hartselle Mayor Randy Garrison said his city doesn't have any shovel-ready projects that would qualify for this federal funding.
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— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432
