Alabama used $71.8 million in federal highway funds to complete an $88.9 million project adding lanes on Interstate 65 in Shelby County — the biggest use of federal funds in the state in 2018.
Finding that and the next ranking federally funded projects is much easier now, thanks to an online dashboard created by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. The site went live this month.
Alabama is among the states that gets most of its highway funds from the federal government, 73 percent of all Alabama Department of Transportation spending, according to the ARTBA dashboard.
ARTBA describes the site as “an interactive tool that for the first time provides the public and elected officials a clear look at how and where the state invests its transportation tax dollars.”
Users can see which states used the highest proportion of federal funds —Alabama is in the top group — and which projects used the most funding.
“This dashboard helps shift the conversation from how much each state gets to specific outcomes and benefits,” ARTBA President Dave Bauer says. “Such transparency and accountability will help residents better understand the value they are getting from infrastructure investments.”
In 2018, the most recent data available, Alabama used $731.4 million in federal funds to complete $902.6 million in road projects, the site calculates.
After the Shelby County Interstate 65 project, the next biggest projects include:
- A $22.8 million pavement rehabilitation project on Interstate 459 in Jefferson County, supported $20.5 million in federal funds.
- A $22.7 million bridge project on SR 8 in Russell County, supported by $18.1 million in federal funds.
- A $22.4 million extension of SR 158 in Mobile County, supported by $17.9 million in federal funds.
- A $16.3 million pavement maintenance project on Interstate 85 in Montgomery County, supported by $14.7 in federal funds.
The site lists the top 10 projects per state and statewide annual totals.
Information to build the site was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the ARTBA says in announcing the site.
