Study recommends revamping Alabama 36 and 67 interchanges

Nov. 16—A traffic study recommends improvements to the Alabama 36 and 67 interchanges at Interstate 65, but a Bethel Road-interstate interchange and connection to U.S. 31 is probably a long-term project because of a hefty $35 million price tag.

The Hartselle interchange at Alabama 36 and Interstate 65 would cost about $3 million, while the Priceville interchange at Alabama 67 and I-65 would cost as much as $12 million, said Garver LLC civil engineer Patra E. Crenshaw.

Crenshaw recently presented the study, commissioned earlier this year to determine the need for a Bethel Road interchange, to the Decatur-area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The MPO is a group of local mayors and council members who manage state and federal funding for road improvements and traffic studies.

State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he's been pushing for this study because Alabama 36 and its interchange with Interstate 65 "are such a problem."

Orr said he also thinks an interchange at Bethel Road could help the growth of Hartselle, Priceville and the Burningtree Mountain area of Decatur.

With 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles per day, Crenshaw said "there are issues" on Alabama 36, especially in the downtown Hartselle area, and the Alabama 36-Interstate 65 interchange in Hartselle.

"The crash rate for state route 36 is three times more than the state's crash rate," Crenshaw said.

She said Alabama 36 "currently provides a poor level of service," along with its I-65 interchange ramps during peak hours. There's also queuing during peak hours on the I-65 southbound off-ramp in the evening and the northbound on-ramp in the morning, she added.

Hartselle Mayor Randy Garrison said the traffic problems along Alabama 36 and at its I-65 interchange "used to only occur certain times a day. Now there's more traffic because there's more people living here and there's more people coming into the city. It's more of an all-day problem now."

Crenshaw said projections show Alabama 36's traffic volume will increase to 22,000 vehicle per day by 2045, "which is a lot more than a two-lane (road) can handle."

She said the highway intersections' levels of service — based on the operating conditions of a roadway in terms of speed, travel time, maneuverability, delays, safety and traffic backups — will also deteriorate by 2045.

Crenshaw said Garver put together two possible options for a Bethel Road interchange 1.7 miles north of the Alabama 36 interchange and 4.2 miles south of the Alabama 67 interchange in Priceville. Both options include connectors to U.S. 31 near Sparkman Street in Hartselle. One would include a roundabout at the intersection of the proposed connector road and Indian Hills Road.

Both options would feature a loop coming off the interstate that then connects to eastbound Bethel Road, which then goes north to Priceville.

She said both are designed to take pressure off Alabama 36, with a model showing traffic levels remaining at 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles a day with the addition of a new connector.

Garrison said the connector road to U.S. 31 is an important part of this plan. This proposed road would allow motorists to go to the interstate while avoiding downtown Hartselle.

"Without this connector road to 31, the Bethel Road interchange is not going to make that much of a difference," Garrison said.

Crenshaw said Alabama 36's intersections, particularly the one at I-65, still need improvements to provide better service.

She said they looked at adding traffic signals or roundabouts for the Alabama 36-Interstate 65 interchange. Both provide good service, but signals require left-turn lanes in the east- and west-bound directions, and that would require the bridge to be widened and increase the cost, she said.

"Widening of the bridge wouldn't be needed with the roundabouts," she said.

Crenshaw said they recommend adding roundabouts "in the near term" to alleviate the current congestion problems at the interchange.

MPO Director Dewayne Hellums said Garver's roundabout design includes access management with service roads that would eliminate the road cuts into the gas stations and other businesses around the interchange.

Hellums estimated the roundabouts would cost $3 million and not require the purchase of additional rights of way, while the new Bethel Road interchange and route would cost $35 million.

Garrison said he likes the roundabout idea "because it's something that can be implemented very fast."

Garver also studied the Alabama 67 interchange with I-65, and they recommend adding dual left-turn lanes for traffic going northbound and southbound. Crenshaw estimated revamping the Alabama 67-Interstate 65 interchange at the Priceville exit would cost $10 million to $12 million.

Hellums said they're already at the point where revamping the Alabama 67 interchange is needed because it received a low service rating.

Orr said it's important that they get the Alabama 67 interchange redone because of how bad rush-hour traffic has become.

"We have so many commuters going north of the river each day (in the mornings) and then returning in the evening," Orr said. "We also have a lot of people coming into Decatur from the interstate. We see all sorts of tags from Marshall and Cullman counties and some Limestone County tags."

Orr and Hellums said the study showed they can work on the Alabama 36 and 67 interchanges in the short term "for less money," while the Bethel Road interchange project could be a long-term plan.

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