ALDOT Announces Another Road Project to Improve Major Northport Intersection

The Alabama Department of Transportation has announced another project on McFarland Boulevard in Northport to improve its highly trafficked intersection with Lurleen Wallace Boulevard.

John McWilliams, a spokesperson for ALDOT in west Alabama, said in a Wednesday press release the agency has OK'd a plan for a contractor to install new traffic signal equipment and concrete islands at the northbound and southbound intersections of US Highway 82 and State Route 69 in Northport.

It will be part of ALDOT's ongoing work to three-lane McFarland Boulevard from the Black Warrior River into Northport and precede their yet-to-begin project to replace the Woolsey Finnell Bridge.

Get our free mobile app

"This project is part of the Rebuild Alabama Act that is expected to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion along McFarland Boulevard from SR-69 to Rice Mine Road," McWilliams said. "The 2.77-mile project will add a travel lane in each direction, provide better access management to businesses and a shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians. The latest traffic counts showed more than 50,000 trips made per day on the heavily traveled highway."

The work will begin this coming Monday, June 17th, and last through the end of July.

"ALDOT chose this time due to the reduced traffic volume with school out of session," McWilliams said.

The ALDOT rep said this project will close the right through-traffic lanes on Lurleen in each direction, but the highway's turn lanes will remain open.

Motorists should expect possible delays and are encouraged to observe work-zone speed limits.

For more on this project and other ALDOT work in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.