ARDMORE, Ala. (WHNT) — Governor Kay Ivey and other state leaders visited Ardmore on Friday morning to give details on a much-needed traffic safety project.
The Alabama Department of Transportation will be adding turn lanes and making “other improvements” to the intersection of Highway 53 and Pinedale Road in Limestone County.
“Help is now on the way,” Governor Ivey said.
This section of Highway 53 is only one lane in each direction. So, traffic on Highway 53 comes to a screeching halt when drivers attempt to turn left onto Pinedale Road. Drivers attempting to turn onto Highway 53 from Pinedale Road also struggle to turn during periods of heavy traffic.
Governor Ivey said the safety improvement project is “long needed, and we’re glad to finally be getting it done.”
The intersection has seen several fatal and serious injury crashes over the past few years. Including a crash in January of 2024 involving a Greyhound bus and a vehicle driven by 23-year-old Sidney Benson of Ardmore. Benson died in the crash, and several of the Greyhound passengers were injured.
“When you have an injury or loss of life, it makes it that much more important,” State Senator Tim Melson said. “You don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”
Melson and other state leaders who support the project say they hope the improvements help prevent future crashes.
“These turn lanes and these additions will absolutely save lives, slow people down,” Rep. Andy Whitt said.
This project was one of a few that were approved for funding through the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program-II (ATRIP-II). That funding comes as a result of the Rebuild Alabama Act.
The Alabama Department of Transportation says the project is still in the very early stages. An ALDOT spokesperson said it could take about two years for it to be completed. He said the project is estimated to cost $1.25 million, although $1,344,348.90 has been allotted for the project.
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