BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) – After more than four years of construction, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for those who travel Highway 181 in Baldwin County. Phase two of the widening project is nearing completion, much to the delight of commuters and area businesses.
“We’ve lost a ton of drive-by business because there’s zero visibility from the current traffic on 181,” said Ashley Valentz with CNC Automotive Solutions and Eastern Shore Auto Brokers.
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Valentz said years of road closures and construction has impacted business and knowing that it may finally come to an end is reassuring.
“We thought it was going to be done end of September and we were optimistic about that,” said Valentz. “There were some weather delays as you know but yes. If we can get it done by the end of the year, that would be fantastic.”
Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) officials said that is now the expectation. The $19.2-million-dollar project began in 2018 with utilities work. Road construction got underway in 2019 and ALDOT said there have been several unavoidable delays along the way.
“Sally slowed it down. Any time it rains, there’s issues with that. A lot of contractors have had hiring issues…hiring enough people to get things completed and then there’s the supply chain issues as well,” explained ALDOT spokesperson, James Gordon. “I mean, we don’t want to make excuses but those are the reasons why it was slowed down.”
Phase two of the project will complete the widening of Highway 181 to four lanes from just south of County Road 64, down to Highway 104. Once work is complete, ALDOT said there will still be periodic inconveniences.
“Once it does reopen to four lanes, there will be some minor lane closures for just some aesthetic type things,” said Gordon. “I mean, some drainage improvements…pipes and things, some landscaping issues. Things like that.”
If things stay on schedule, it could be ALDOT’s Christmas present to motorists who live and work in that part of the county.
The first two phases of the widening project were funded through BP Restore Act money. As for phase three which would complete the widening all the way to County Road 32, ALDOT said there isn’t currently any money to move forward.
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