Staff Reports news@times-journal.com
U.S. Rep. Robert Adherholt says he’s secured $42 milliion in funding for projects in appropriations bills up for a vote by the House this week.
It includes $1 million for a Fort Payne Multiphase Transportation Project Feasibility Study that would consider improvements to Joe’s Truck Stop and a potential overpass.
Over the weekend, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations released the first batch of Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills, according to a press release from Aderholt’s office.
The release lists 14 projects the representative says he’s securing funding for in the Fourth District.
“Members of Congress know the needs of their districts far more than a Washington Bureaucrat,” he said in the statement. “That’s why I’ve always supported directed spending for local projects during the annual appropriations process. The 14 projects in the 4th District that I have secured funding for all have a direct impact on people’s lives, on economic development, and on educational opportunities. This is the kind of work Members of Congress should do for their districts and for their constituents.”
Here’s the description of the project for Fort Payne:
Fort Payne Multiphase Transportation Project Feasibility Study, City of Fort Payne, AL, DeKalb County, 4th Congressional District
• Recipient: City of Fort Payne, Alabama
• Recipient Address: 100 Alabama Avenue NW, Fort Payne, AL 35967
• Amount Secured: $1,000,000
• Project Explanation: A study of a multiphase project to address these interrelated transportation challenges in Fort Payne. Alternatives include creating an alternate Highway 35 route coming off of Lookout Mountain and eliminating truck traffic along the city’s main street, Gault Avenue (Highway 11); eliminating the sharp turn at the dangerous grade change at the intersection of Highway 35 and 5th Street (known as Joe’s Truck Stop); and creating a rail overpass that would allow traffic to reconnect to Highway 35 and Interstate 59 at the south end of town.
Fort Payne city leaders have been seeking help to address these traffic concerns for some time and hoped to get funding for the study as a step toward resolving the problems. Joe’s Truck Stop has been the site of a number of crashes, and the trains routinely block city intersections, sometimes for an hour or more.
Among the other projects including in the appropriations bills is $2,400,000 for a Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama, to be located in Etowah County. The center would be a regional learning facility with a simulator that will engage students and teachers in “dynamic, hands-on exploration and learning that and strengthen knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).” The simulator and the center will use a NASA designed, space-themed curriculum that is aligned with Alabama’s math and science standards.
The center would seek to serve students in surrounding counties – including DeKalb – as well at the county where it will be built.
Other approved projects include:
U.S. Highway 411 Reroute Planning, Design and Construction Project, City of Gadsden, AL, Etowah County, 4th Congressional District
•Recipient: City of Gadsden
•Recipient Address: 90 Broad Street, Gadsden, AL 35901
•Amount Secured: $6,500,000
•Project Explanation: To complete planning, design, and construction for rerouting a portion of U.S. Highway 411 along Rainbow Drive spanning approximately 1 mile improving access to Downtown Gadsden and to add a complete street along the Coosa River.
Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) Capital Improvements for Gadsden State Community College in the City of Gadsden, Etowah County, AL, 4th Congressional District
•Recipient: Gadsden State Community College
•Recipient Address: 1001 George Wallace Drive, Gadsden, AL 35903
•Amount Secured: $1,279,545
•Project Explanation: The funding would be used to aid in the construction of the new Advanced Manufacturing Center on the East Broad Campus in Gadsden. These capital improvements will be used to support the work-based learning Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) program. The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will support a pipeline of immediate workers to industry and taxpayers, by training graduates that are highly sought after, have high wage careers that contribute to the area economy and fuel the economic growth in the region in fields such as automotive, food processing, automotive suppliers and building materials.
City of Red Bay Interchange Lighting at SR-24 (Corridor V), Red Bay, Franklin County -- $1,120,000.
Community STEM Facility in the City of Florence, Lauderdale County -- $13,000,000
Equipment for Advanced Technology Center in Hanceville, at Wallace State Community College -- $1,500,000.00
Florence-Lauderdale County Port Authority Dock Reconstruction Project, Florence, Lauderdale County -- $ 3,573,034
Haleyville Drainage and Parking Facility Project City of Haleyville, Winston County -- $451,521
Multi-Use Government Service Center in Samantha -- $450,000.00
Russellville Library/Multipurpose Community Center, City of Russellville, Franklin County -- $ 3,892,000
Sanitary Sewer Improvement in Cullman -- $ 4,250,000
Singing River Trail Extension in Courtland, Town Creek, and Leighton -- $1,500,000
Waterline Replacement in Hanceville -- $ 1,125,000.