After years of discussions and planning, the Alabama Department of Transportation appears to be moving forward with improvements to U.S. 72 under the CSX overpass.

Any driver who’s been near the intersection of U.S. 72 and Jefferson Street in Athens during peak travel times knows what a headache the corridor can be.

The narrow, congested route under the CSX Railroad overpass has long been a concern for city and state officials. Westbound drivers wanting to take a left onto south Jefferson Street have a short turn lane that backs up quickly and causes gridlock miles back. Those wanting to turn right are at the mercy of the signal timing.

The eastbound side isn’t as bad, but the tight squeeze under the overpass leaves little room for error.

After years of discussion and planning, it would appear the Alabama Department of Transportation is moving the project closer to the front burner.

ALDOT spokesman Seth Burkett said the $1.9 million project is set to get underway in fiscal year 2022. He said the department is working to get it moved up on the schedule, but that will depend on funding availability. Behind the scenes, work is progressing.

Burkett said engineering plans are about 90 percent complete. Rights of way needed to widen the corridor have been authorized, but not yet acquired.

Project design

The design of the project may be considered unique to this area. Right of way will be purchased on either side of the overpass piers. A lane of traffic will be moved outside of each pier on the eastbound and westbound sides. Retaining walls will be built to hold back the embankments on each side.

The westbound lane that would be to the right of one pier would be a right-hand turn lane for North Jefferson Street. The lanes in the existing roadway between the bridge piers would be reconfigured. There will be two westbound through-lanes, a longer left turn lane, and one eastbound through-lane between the bridge piers. The other eastbound through-lane would be located outside the other pier.

The idea of routing lines of a busy highway around piers may seem like a dangerous proposition to some. State Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, recently told The News Courier he wasn’t a fan of the design and he hopes ALDOT will come up with an alternative plan.

“The ALDOT director says it’s a good thing, but I don’t know of anybody who thinks it’s a good thing,” he said.

Crawford said the project could be redesigned without the piers, but it would require a temporary closure of the CSX overpass. He explained the state would have to pay CSX for any down time on what is typically a very busy section of track.

“I would rather put some money in it and get it six lanes without (the piers),” he said. “If the piers were in the middle and there were three lanes on either side, that would be more palatable to me.”

Burkett said there would be plenty of signs and striping on both sides of the piers to provide a visual grade for motorists. There would also be impact attenuators guarding the piers on both sides.

With this design, the rail line would not have to close to complete road construction. Burkett said the railroad would likely want an inspector present, however.

“This project will improve traffic flow by alleviating the bottleneck on U.S. 72 at the railroad overpass. By constructing additional lanes and reconfiguring lanes on the existing roadway, it will provide two through-lanes in each direction and longer turn lanes approaching the Jefferson Street intersection westbound.”

Long-delayed

Officials first began talking about the need for improvements in the 1990s. In 2009, then-Mayor Dan Williams received a letter from ALDOT informing him the project was on the department’s five-year improvement plan.

In 2014, an ALDOT official told city leaders the project would begin in fiscal 2016 and take 1 to 1 ½ years to complete. However, Athens Public Works Director James Rich told The News Courier in December 2016 the project had been delayed and he didn’t know when it would be considered.

Dangerous corridor

The congested corridor has been the scene of numerous wrecks and fender-benders over the years. Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson said his officers had worked 16 crashes at the intersection of U.S. 72 and Jefferson Street this year and four at the intersection of U.S. 72 and Clinton, located just east of the CSX overpass.

The chief said the biggest issue with the corridor are the two westbound lanes backing up because of the amount of cars waiting to turn north or south onto Jefferson Street. Friday afternoons are particularly bad.

“This gives us an option to be able to extend those turn lanes and keep traffic moving,” Johnson said.