Dallas County and city officials are moving steadily along on a three-year road improvement project that would normally take up to 20 years, Probate Judge Kim Ballard said. 

The road improvement projects are funded through the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP), which is a part of the Alabama Department of Transportation. The program accounts for 13 road projects in Dallas County, most of which are resurfacing, and $10.6 million dollars.

Two projects have been completed — resurfacing Dallas County Road 80 and Old Cahaba Road — one is underway and at least three more could go out for bids in the fall.

Ballard said the overall effect on roads in Dallas County is significant.

“If you take the amount of money that we received — $8.5 million — that would compute time wise, without the ATRIP funding, to 20 years of paving,” he said. “There’s no way we could have pulled that kind of money out of our general fund budget.”

County engineer Coosa Jones said one project — resurfacing a portion of Dallas County Road 115 — is currently in progress.

The next projects to start construction are Dallas County roads 33 and 31, Jones said.

The two were originally separate projects, but combined and will likely go to bid in the fall.

The next closest county projects to completion are resurfacing Dallas County roads 45 and 6. Jones said they are currently in a design phase.

The remaining four paving projects are scheduled for 2015 and the Dallas County government’s portion of the ATRIP project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

As roads start construction, Jones said some may be completely blocked off, while others are limited to one lane.

The City of Selma also received a couple million dollars from ATRIP, resulting in three projects.

With one city project complete, Selma planning and development director James Benderson said resurfacing Water Avenue from Race Street to Dallas County Road 41 would be next. Benderson said the project would be sent out for bids in the fall.

Resurfacing Lapsley Street and Summerfield Road from J.L. Chestnut Boulevard to Woodrow Avenue is scheduled for the 2016 fiscal year.