Etowah Commissioners approve 8-mile repaving project for Appalachian Highway

Etowah County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a repaving project for Appalachian Highway.

The project, titled Project ECP 28-076-18, will resurface the highway on an 8-mile stretch from U.S. Highway 278 to U.S. Highway 411, exempting the bridge that will have work done on a later date when needed.

"It's one of the main routes of the county, as it is one of the few crossings for the Coosa River within the county, which makes it a very important route," said Robert Nail, the county's engineer, "It has not been resurfaced since the late 1990s, so this is very needed."

"Hokes Bluff has about 2 miles of the highway stretch through, which makes it a big asset for our community and we're happy to see this work moving forward," added Hokes Bluff Mayor Scott Reeves.

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Etowah County Schools Superintendent Dr. Alan Cosby said this project is especially important for the system when it comes to bussing students.

"We have school buses that drive that highway all the time going from the elementary schools to the middle and high schools, and I appreciate the relations we all have between the commissioners and the City of Hokes Bluff," he said. "It all culminates to making Etowah County a better place."

The project will cost an estimated $4 million, with the funding being secured by the State of Alabama.

"Several of the commissioners, alongside Mayor Reeves and myself, met with Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper over the course of the past year to discuss funding," Nail said. "It is an expensive roadway to fix, but we're glad that both Cooper and Gov. Kay Ivey has made a way to get funding for that roadway so we can get this project underway."

"This is a very important project. I drive that road a lot, so I see the needs it has first hand," said state Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre. "This is a much-needed project and I'm glad to see all the work done to see this project come to fruition."

Nail said the project's cost stems from the width and condition of the road. requiring a bigger buildup to meet the industrial standards the highway is subjected to daily.

"Unfortunately, aid and costs of materials have kept going up, so I'm hoping we can still complete this project with the funding we've been allotted," he said.

While there is no official timeline for the project to begin, Nail said it's hoped that it could start after the new section on U.S. Highway 411 is completed, so officials can see the traffic impact it will have.

Commissioners said their next scheduled meeting will be postponed from July 5 to July 12.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Etowah County Commission approves repaving for Appalachian Highway