When will that road be finished?

Have you ever wondered why it takes so long to complete a road project that you read about in your newspaper?

Every project must take numerous steps before the public can utilize it.

Jesse Turner, director of transportation planning for the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments, explained the process a highway transportation project goes through from beginning to end to Staff Writer Russ Corey.

Q: Where do highway transportation projects get their start?

A: Projects originate with either a local government or the state department of transportation based on a need in that community. In urban areas, a project is first added to the long-range plan that is maintained by the area's Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The project is then added to the State Transportation Improvement Program, commonly known as the "five year plan," and to the MPO Transportation Improvement Program, a local short-range transportation plan.

Q: What happens once the projects are placed on the plan and are adequately funded?

A: Before construction takes place, an environmental assessment must be performed that addresses the historical, cultural and archeological impact the project will have on the area.

Environmental assessments can take up to three years to complete, depending on the size of the project and what is discovered during the assessment. If there is a finding of no significant impact, the project moves on. If there is an impact on the environment, an environmental impact study must be completed. Significant impact on the environment could halt a project.

Q: What happens if the project is allowed to proceed after this phase?

A: The project enters the design stage where engineers create construction plans for the project.

Once those plans are completed, right of way must be acquired for the construction. In many cases, utilities such as electrical, water, sewer, gas and telephone lines must be relocated to accommodate the project.

Once that is complete, the project finally enters the construction phase.

The construction phase includes "grade and drain," where the roadbed and drainage facilities are constructed and "base and pave," which includes the actual paving.

Q: How long can all this take?

A: In some cases, it can take years to even decades to take a project from the time it gets on the long-range plan to actual completion.