By By Adam Prestridge
Motorists that frequent Hwy. 31 traveling to Baldwin County will need to adjust their schedules for at least the next month.
According to Tony Harris, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Transportation, emergency drainage repairs began on the main thoroughfare at the 35.8-mile post near Pineville Road Monday morning.
The work is required following washout damage after flash flooding drenched the area in December 2009.
The project is estimated to cost $100,000, but Harris said that cost could fluctuate up or down.
According to Harris, the project consists of the removal of a two-foot by two-foot box culvert and replacing it with a longer higher capacity drainage pipe that will also allow improvements of the shoulder of the roadway. Following those repairs, the washed out area will be filled and paved.
Highway 31 in Atmore is not the only problem spot throughout the state. Harris said more and more road damage occurs as rains continue to drench the south.
Road closure is not always the answer, Harris said.
A signed detour route is marked along Hwy. 31 south. It includes Atmore Industrial Park Drive to Jack Springs Road to Interstate 65 to Baldwin County 47. Some motorists who live in the area have found alternate routes that save time, but large trucks are encouraged to stick to the detour route. Other motorists have chosen to take I-65 to the Bay Minette exit to save time.
The construction work will continue for the next four to five weeks, Harris said.
Grady Ralls &Sons, Inc. of Evergreen is performing the work.