THE SHOALS – Governor Robert Bentley will be in the Shoals area Monday, August 8 for a 2:00 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the expansion of US Highway 43. The program will take place at the Greenhill Volunteer Fire Department station #1, located at 8731 US 43.
The Shoals Chamber of Commerce, Rep. Lynn Greer, Rep. Phillip Pettus, and Sen. Tim Melson are included in the groundbreaking program.
The Highway 43 project includes expanding both north and south lanes to four-lanes, spanning from Florence to the Tennessee state line. The project start date is August 17, 2016.
This event is open to the public.
This groundbreaking will celebrate the anticipated starts of two projects that will complete the four-laning of the remaining 5.25 miles of the U.S. 43 corridor from Killen to the Tennessee state line at a combined cost of more than $18 million:
Additional lanes (grade, drain, base, pave, signing and traffic stripe on U.S. 43 (SR-13) from the junction of SR-64 to the intersection of CR-140, south of Greenhill in Lauderdale County. (1.902 miles) Apparent low bid was $8,173,236.64 by Joe Keenum Excavation and Construction Inc. of Muscle Shoals. Contract will be awarded later this month.
Additional lanes (grade drain, base and pave, on U.S. 43 (SR-13) from the intersection of CR-140, south of Greenhill in Lauderdale County, to the Tennessee state line. (3.335 miles) Contract amount $9,982,599.62 awarded to Carcel & G Construction, LLC of Hanceville.
These projects will probably be completed in about a year and a half.
Here’s some background on the corridor:
- U.S. 43 is a route between the Shoals and central Tennessee. It’s already a four-lane highway on the Tennessee side.
- In the late 1950s and early ’60s, a two-lane US-43 was constructed.
- In 2009, the first 4-laning project was let from U.S. 72 at Killen to SR-64. The base and pave of this project was completed in 2015.
- Two more projects remain to complete the 10.28 miles:
1) US-43 from CR-140 to the Tennessee State line (let in May).
2) U.S. 43 from SR-64 to CR-140 (let in July).
- When these project are complete, approximately $85 million will have been spent adding additional lanes to US-43.
