Gov. Bob Riley vowed to revisit the widening of a portion of Wilson Dam Road that has been stalled for about 18 months over a dispute between property owners and the Alabama Department of Transportation.

The governor, along with State Highway Director Joe McInnes and Assistant Highway Director Don Vaughn, met for about an hour with Muscle Shoals Mayor David Bradford and several members of the local legislative delegation at City Hall.

"We had a very good meeting," State Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, said without going into detail about what was discussed.

The Wilson Dam Road project has been stalled over discrepancies between property values determined by appraisers hired by the state and values determined by a three-member panel appointed by the Colbert County Probate Judge.

The state argues that the probate panel's values are out of line with what the state is willing to pay.

Approximately 80 percent of the property needed for the project has been purchased, Bradford said.

Wilson Dam Road is seven lanes from the south end of the bridge over Patton Island to about 700 feet south of the Avalon Avenue intersection. From there it becomes a two-lane road until it meets Alabama 157.

The part of the project to widen the road from Avalon Avenue to just south of the Norfolk Southern Railway overpass was put on hold indefinitely when remaining landowners and the state reached an impasse.

Bradford and local legislators such as Denton and state Rep. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, have tried to get the project back on track.

"The problem is, we have property owners who are not willing to settle for a fair price," Denton said.

Denton said while Wilson Dam Road travels through Muscle Shoals, it is a state highway that is an important transportation corridor for the entire Shoals area.

Riley said the legislators made him aware of how important completing the project is to the Shoals.

He said the Department of Transportation is committed to revisiting the project from all angles to see if there is a way it can get back on track.

While there is no time frame, Riley said he would like to have a new plan in place within weeks rather than months.

"We will do everything we can to jump start this one more time," the governor said.

Bradford said the project could be sent out for bids in 45 days if the remaining right of way was in hand.

"Everybody is united to see if there is any way we can get this thing moving forward with the help of some of the property owners that are left," Bradford said. "Everyone needs to come together for the benefit of the community."

Bradford said accidents on Wilson Dam Road have nearly doubled in the past year and that the road is in poor condition.

Department of Transportation Spokesman Tony Harris said the department is reviewing the property that has been purchased so far to see how much of the project could be built while right of way purchases continue.

Even though the project has been on hold, the Department of Transportation has continued to acquire property by negotiating with property owners based on the state's original assessments.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@TimesDaily.com.