Commissioners Updated On Road Projects Funded By State Gas Tax

Tuscaloosa AL

06 January, 2021

1:25 PM

Description

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County Commission on Wednesday received a detailed breakdown of infrastructure projects paid for by a local allocation of revenue generated by the state's gas tax. The statewide program, which provides local funding for road and bridge improvements by independent contractors, is dubbed Rebuild Alabama and went into effect last year after being pushed by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey in 2019 and passed into law. QUICK FACTS Tuscaloosa County received $1.3 million in the first round of funding after the fuel tax was passed in 2019. This number is likely to increase along with the tax in the next fiscal year, so long as gas sales continue their current trend. The most expensive individual project was surface treatment for a 6.9-mile stretch of Wallace Ferry Road, coming with a price tag of $364,207. The five separate projects addressed 11.70 miles of county-maintained roads in 2020. County Engineer Scott Anders presented the update during Tuesday's regular meeting of the Commission and later pointed out to Patch that the county still has funds left for next year's allocation, which is strictly earmarked for infrastructure projects. He explained that in the first year implemented, the fuel tax increase was 6 cents in 2020. The tax will then increase in 2-cent increments as it's phased in over the next two years. This will ultimately result in year-to-year increases as the tax comes in to full effect. "It's actual gas receipts, so the less gas is bought, the less you get," he said. "But since the tax is going up, we anticipate a little bit more, maybe about a million and a half dollars. "We still have $48,000 that rolls over to next year, so we'll add it to that $1.5 million we will get [next year]," Anders added. "The money that got passed came here and went directly to the roads. No equipment, no payroll, no salaries. It went to these roads that were identified." Here is a breakdown of the individual projects and their costs. Hargrove Road (2.41 miles): Striping and resurfacing. Total cost: $349,554.27. Wallace Ferry Road (6.9 miles): Surface treatment. Total cost: $364,207.Jack Warner Parkway (0.63 miles): Striping and resurfacing. Total cost: $194,073.Covered Bridge Road (0.49 miles): Striping and resurfacing. Total cost: $71,204. Uniroyal Goodrich Boulevard (1.27 miles): Striping and resurfacing. Total cost: $248,417. IN OTHER COUNTY BUSINESS Commissioners unanimously voted to purchase a new garbage truck for the price of $141,218. Anders says the county expects to have it in service in the next six weeks, bringing the county's total number of solid waste trucks to five, with four runnable and one backup truck. Commissioners unanimously approved two expenditures of $10,000 at the request of District 2's Jerry Tingle for work at the Vance ballpark and fencing at the county's ballpark in Coaling. Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter.