Raising the bar
Alabama improves safety along I-20/59 corridor

By Nancy Mann Jackson

One of the most dangerous stretches of interstate in Alabama is getting safer, piece-by-piece.

Interstate 20/59, the section of Interstates 20 and 59 that runs together across the central part of the state, was one of the state's first interstate highways built in the 1960s. As safety standards evolved, much of this early highway, with its narrow medians and no guardrails, fell short of the new standards.

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Interstate 20/59 had become known as the most dangerous stretch of highway in the state for crossover accidents, which often result in fatal head-on collisions.

That status has been slowly changing over the past few years as the Alabama Department of Transportation let contracts to reconstruct the interstate highway one section at a time.

APAC Birmingham has been awarded the contracts for a number of these projects and since 2001 has been working on four separate jobs along the section of I-20/59 that runs from Birmingham through Tuscaloosa, a high-traffic and high-collision corridor.

APAC, a division of Ashland Corp., is the largest transportation contractor in the country, according to Engineering News-Record, and an expert when it comes to highway rehabilitation projects.

"Safety has been the driving force behind these projects," said Tim Mullendore, president of APAC's Alabama division. "The highest incidence of fatalities has been on Interstate 20/59 and the state wants to make it safer."

APAC's projects, which span more than 20 mi. along the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa corridor and have a total budget of $57.2 million, include two stages. The first stage will fill the median and install concrete barrier rails and the second will add a third lane in each direction, bringing this highway section up to six lanes.

The widening projects have included two sets of bridges, which were widened by subcontractor Alabama Bridge Builders Inc. of Pelham, Ala. Another set of bridges was removed during the project, said Jeff Janeway, APAC's area manager.

"Those bridges went over an abandoned railroad, so we filled the area in and built the grade up where the bridges had been," he said.

While safety is the driving force behind these jobs, traffic flow is also important. The corridor is burgeoning with new industry, especially automotive plants and suppliers to the state's thriving automotive manufacturing industry, and traffic counts continue to rise.

"The lanes were added to increase the capacity of the facility," said Dee Rowe, fifth division engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation. "In most cases the roadway was widened to the middle, leaving very little median."

In the case of the project closest to Jefferson County, the roadway was widened to the outside because the median there was too narrow to accommodate the additional lanes. Barrier rails were installed to keep traffic from crossing over.

Attempting to widen the roadways and erect barriers to stop crossover collisions, while allowing traffic to flow seamlessly between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, has not been without difficulties.

"You're dealing with the traveling public, and that's very complicated," Mullendore said. "There's a lot of work at night and safety is always a big concern."

Known for its attention to safety during road projects, APAC has combated hazards on I-20/59 by instituting above-the-norm safety standards. These precautions have included slowing traffic from 70 mph to 55; assigning state troopers to each interstate project, 24 hours a day; and notifying drivers of any lane changes or obstructions ahead, with strategic signage.

"Our main concern is speed, and at 55 mph we can control the traffic sufficiently," Mullendore added. "It's important to us not to have anyone hurt, not the traveling public or our people. We've had good success for the most part with trooper presence and additional warning signs."

Led by Janeway and project manager Robert Eggar Sr., APAC has successfully completed three of the four Tuscaloosa-area I-20/59 projects. The fourth, a high-traffic area that includes the section of highway that runs by the Mercedes plant in Vance, should be completed by July 1.

Mullendore called all the projects "fast-track," meaning the time frames for their completion ranged from one to two years, about 30 percent faster than normal for this type of job.

"We've put together a good team to build this type of project very efficiently," Mullendore said. "You really have to be organized as to the sequence of construction in order to finish it all at one time. We had to perform multiple tasks at once, including doing the grading, base and paving, and installing the barrier rail."

APAC's team also includes Tuscaloosa-based grading and drainage company Raycon Inc.; Abramson Partnership, which handled concrete structures and barrier rails; and drainage contractor Material Services. Both Protection Services and Alabama Barricade worked with APAC to provide traffic control items such as warning signs and caution markers.

Ozark Striping Co., Alabama Guardrail and Confleet Carriers also played integral roles in the projects.

DOT officials said the team's work has been a success, according to DOT officials.

"In the areas where the median wall has been placed, we have had no fatalities," said Keith Hoggle, assistant division construction engineer in DOT's Tuscaloosa office. "Before the wall was placed, we averaged at times over one fatality a month. The roadway is far less congested but has the same volume of traffic as before construction."

While APAC has had a presence in Alabama since 1906 and has been involved in building interstate highways in the state since the early 1960s, these projects along I-20/59 are the company's largest job in the state. Alabama DOT plans to let more contracts this year to continue the interstate widening in the Tuscaloosa area and other areas across the state, and APAC hopes to be involved.

"The primary purpose of these projects is safety, and safety is our number one goal," Mullendore said. "It's nice to know that these projects may be saving lots of lives."

Useful Resources:

For up-to-date information on current highway construction in Alabama, go to:
http://www.dot.state.al.us/Bureau/Construction/bulletin.htm