Crossing Corridor X
Crews traverse coal country to build vital interstate links

By Nancy Mann Jackson

Land that once held economic promise for generations of coal mining families is quickly becoming a countryside view for car passengers traveling fast between Memphis and Birmingham.

Where coal mining was once king, a new highway nicknamed Corridor X promises new economic development. In tiny Carbon Hill, Ala., where strip mines are still easy to spot along the highway construction sites, longtime U.S. Highway 78 is already referred to as Corridor X and soon will be Interstate 22.

Partially funded by the Appalachian Regional Development Council, which was created by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, Corridor X is one of the projects that combine federal, state and local efforts to improve economic development opportunities and quality of life for people in the Appalachian regions of the United States.

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The Appalachian Redevelopment Council has classified Corridor X as a "high priority corridor," and with the Mississippi section already complete Alabama is hustling to finish its 94-mi. portion.

"Corridor X has been under construction since the late 1970s and early 1980s," said J. F. Horsely, division engineer at the Alabama Department of Transportation. "It's a very expensive project because it runs through some rough terrain and some mined areas."

"A 35-mi. section from Mississippi to Winfield, Ala., is already open, and another 14-mi. section is open around Jasper, Ala.," Horsely said. "We hope to have the section from Winfield to Jasper open within 18 months."

Part of that section stretching from Jasper west to Winfield cuts through Carbon Hill, where Montgomery-based W. S. Newell Construction is currently completing the bridges and grading for a 7-mi. portion of Corridor X. W. S. Newell superintendent Donny Green is leading the project, which includes four interstate-standard bridges and moving rock, draining and grading through green, hilly country full of wildlife.

"This highway cuts through some beautiful country," Green said. "But we've hit a lot of coal seams while digging.

"A lot of times the ground is really wet around the old coal mines, which makes it difficult to get the job done. When you hit a coal seam while digging, you have to undercut it and then backfill it. It slows the process down a little."

Just a few miles away, men and women still mine this land for coal, and the new highway seems to represent a link between the old economy and hope for the new.

"A completed Corridor X will provide a catalyst for attracting businesses with high-tech and high-quality jobs to northwest Alabama," said former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman upon the opening of the first 14-mi. stretch of Alabama's Corridor X in July 2001.

"This route is critical if we are to attract the jobs that will keep our children working in-state and keep our families together."

Economic development, highway development and life itself in Carbon Hill were threatened on Nov. 10, 2002. More than a year into the construction of W.S. Newell's portion of Corridor X, a deadly tornado plowed through the town, killing 11 people and destroying more than 300 homes and other structures, including the high school.

Construction of the Corridor X freeway continued - but not without difficulty.

"It happened on a Sunday, so we weren't working," Green said. "We didn't have any injuries, but we had trees down all over Ramp B at one end of the job. Getting in and out of the jobsite was almost impossible; there were trees and other materials all over the road."

But as the town began to rebuild itself around them, construction workers from W. S. Newell and its subcontractors continued to build the new highway. Subs who have contributed to the job include Sherman Pipe, Choctaw Pipe, Hanson Pipe, USA Ready-Mix Concrete, Sherman Concrete, Sunshine Supply and Universal Seed and Supply.

While W.S. Newell's current project in Carbon Hill has lasted a little more than two years and has cost approximately $25 million, it's not the company's first experience with Corridor X.

"We've done about 50 percent of the Alabama section of Corridor X," said Phillip Turner, the firm's general superintendent. "I've been with the company since 1988, and by 1992 we had already finished two Corridor X projects. We've had one or two going ever since."

DOT's Horsely said other major grading contractors on the Alabama highway projects have included Tennessee-based Jones Brothers Construction, Ellard Construction of Birmingham, Hill Brothers of Mississippi, Tuscaloosa-based Raycon and Kentucky-based Elmo Greer Construction.

Other bridge contractors have included R.R. Dawson, Alabama Bridge Co., and the Morris Group. And Birmingham-based Dunn Construction and S.P. Bonn of Tuscaloosa have completed much of the base and paving work.

The Alabama DOT hopes to complete its portion of the highway within the next few years, but "it all depends on funding," Horsely said. Through the Appalachian Regional Development Act, Alabama receives 11 percent of the annual funding available in the Federal Highway Bill, which is approximately $60 million per year.

But the state must provide matching funds of 20 percent, Horsely added, and the money is available for both Corridor X and Corridor V, a similar project that runs across northwest Alabama.

DOT continues to let contracts for additional projects as quickly as the money is available, Horsely said.

Approximately $16 million in new Corridor X projects was to be awarded in November.

Useful Resources:

For background and history about Corridor X or Interstate 22, go to:
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-022.html