Update on road construction and conditions in Chambers County

CHAMBERS COUNTY, Ala. (WTVM) - It has been over a month since severe flooding came through Chambers County, affecting bridges and pipes and closing down several county roads. This halts the 10-year transportation plan to fix county roads that need attention.

County officials said since the flood, it affected over 40 roads in Chambers County, saying that was their first priority to fix for residents.

On top of that, the cost of parts like pipes has increased, and the city only gets a certain amount in its budget each year for road repairs.

“When you have a limited amount of money, you know you have to do the best you can, and that’s what we’ve done,” said County Engineer John Harvill.

Chambers County has over two million dollars in flood damage to deal with. Many county roads have been repaired and reopened, while others are still under construction.

“To resurface a mile a road can cost upwards of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in one mile… you think about one mile in three hundred thousand. Let’s just say it doesn’t take much to reach a million dollars,” said Harvill.

County Engineer said the flooding repairs should wrap up in July of this year. Once they do, the county will focus back on its 10-year transportation plan of fixing roads throughout Chambers County, which many residents agree are unbearable to drive on.

“The road is very worn out, very rough we will go from pavement road to dirt road to however they want to leave the road. It’s just bad, and it makes a lot of wear and tear on our cars,” said a resident.

County officials said they look closely at the budget every year and pick certain roads to repair during that calendar year. This year, their budget is 2.5 million dollars, but with inflation. They are stretching that budget as far as they can.

County officials want residents to know they have plans in place, and many understand they will eventually get to their issue.

“They have a lot going on with these bridges, so I guess they will get to it,” said a resident.

“Roads that have a lot of traffic, you know, were generally have to put down hot mix in order for us to build and maintain properly, but it’s much much much more costly to do that,” said Harvill.

County officials want residents to know they are working on fixing those roads that need attention... they also want to hear from residents...

To contact the Chambers County Highway Department, call 334-864-4359

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