Dale Strong is tired of seeing his constituents maimed on Alabama 53.

The Madison County District 4 commissioner wants the state to fulfill an old promise to make widening the two-lane highway north and south of Old Railroad Bed Road a top priority.

“I realize the Department of Transportation is limited in funding, but it is frustrating when the project was announced when Jim Folsom Jr. was governor and now, several governors later, here we are and we still do not have this road further than Research Park Boulevard,” Strong said.

The two-lane road is a major north-south corridor for people in northeastern Limestone and northwestern Madison counties, taking workers from Ardmore, Pulaski, Harvest, Toney Monrovia, Madison Crossroads, Cold Water and other cities to jobs in Huntsville and Madison and back.

Although the intersection and its approach lies on flat land and all traffic is visible, the flow of traffic is too fast for the existing road and needs to be widened. Another problem is that 53 is an undivided highway, meaning there is only a yellow line to separate traffic regularly traveling at speeds of 65 to 70 miles per hour. An Ardmore teenager was killed at the intersection last Sunday after he pulled out in front of another vehicle, according to state troopers.

In 2007, the area was ranked 14th on the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s list of the top 20 locations in Alabama with the most severe safety needs. The project calls for widening 2.5 miles south and 6.5 miles north of Railroad Bed Road and improving traffic operation. The estimated cost is $17.1 million.

Although the state fully intends to widen the stretch, unless priorities change, it will be about 10 years before the work is done, said Johnny Harris, division engineer with the Alabama Department of Transportation.

“We are currently working on the corridor from Huntsville to Ardmore heading south,” Harris said. “We are doing it in phases and that stretch is outside our immediate construction plan.”

On the up side, Harris said the 2.5-mile section of 53 south of Railroad Bed is the next project on the state’s preliminary engineering list. Several steps will follow that – creating an engineering plan, acquiring rights of way from property owners, securing money to widen the road and, finally, construction.

Strong and others would like the schedule speeded up and traffic lights installed in the meantime to try to reduce the number of accidents.

“I’m tired of seeing the people who elect me year in and year out, and the people I go to church with, and my friends from Ardmore being maimed,” Strong said. “The fire departments here know that if there is a wreck on 53, it is going to be of high energy. MedFlight probably gets frequent flier miles for the number of trips its makes there.”

Harris said a committee decides the schedule for various projects and it is reviewed annually because growth and the resulting traffic can change. Money from federal and state sources is also a factor, he said.

Strong wants the state to step it up.

“It has been announced by at least four governors of this state and by the state of Tennessee and, so far, they’ve four-laned about the width of my desk.” Strong said. “It’s a two-lane carrying more traffic than any two-lane in the state. The project goes back to Jim Folsom, Fob James, Don Siegelman and everyone has said it’s a No. 1 priority. Now we are two terms into Bob Riley and here we are.”

In the meantime, the county has tried to improve the intersection.

“When I took office in 1996, 53 at Old Railroad Bed was one of the three most dangerous intersections in Madison County,” Strong said. “We added caution lights, stop bars and larger and more reflective stop signs and that seems to have helped.”

But, he and others believe more can be done.

“We contacted the DOT about putting a signal there and we received a letter saying the state wants 50 percent of the cost before they will do it.”

Strong said he sent a reply saying the county could commit up to $35,000. He hopes to hear from the state soon.