Reviewed by: Rushing Waters
Highway 72 in Lauderdale County now under construction
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The Alabama Department of Transportation began work Wednesday, June 24, on a stretch of US-72/Florence Boulevard in Lauderdale County.
ALDOT will allow the contractor to work during the daytime to complete asphalt leveling for the roadway widening. The work is expected to last about two weeks.
What this means for traffic in Lauderdale County
To minimize impacts to traffic, ALDOT will limit lane closures to the following timeframes:
- Eastbound lane closures only from 8:30AM to 2:30PM
- Westbound lane closures only from 9AM to 4PM
Flaggers will be onsite to assist with traffic control when paving operations are near the intersections of US-72 with Indian Springs and Harris Drive.
The $24 million project to expand two miles of four-lane highway to six lanes from Indian Springs Drive to Sky Park Road, west of Shoal Creek, began in late 2023.
Initially, the contractor widened to the outside of the highway, including construction of drainage, slopes and retaining walls.
After shifting traffic to the newly-constructed outside lanes in August, the contractor and subcontractors excavated medians, installed drainage and paved concrete islands, curbs and gutters.
Now the contractor must place asphalt to match the grades of the new and pre-existing pavements. Once leveling is complete, the contractor can pave the final wearing surface on all lanes of the project.
ALDOT anticipates completion of all paving this summer.
Additional elements to the project
Plans for two new traffic signals on Florence Boulevard were added to the widening project after it began. Installations are subject to fabrication times for poles and other materials.
The signal at the Lauderdale County Agricultural Center will be installed this summer and operational prior to the start of school. At 7PM Wednesday, June 24, subcontractor Shoals Electric stopped traffic on all lanes of US-72 near Mauldin Avenue for 15 to 20 minutes while pulling cable across the highway for the future traffic signal.
A second signal, at Mary Lee Drive, will be installed in early fall.
