Special to the Enquirer

Governor Kay Ivey this week announced more than $5 million in state funding is being awarded to cities and counties for various road and bridge projects.

Morgan County and the Town of Falkville are among a those to receive funds that will go toward projects to resurface 4.40 miles of Apple Grove Road from SR-67 to Pines Road and widen and resurface 0.53 miles of Culver Road from Buster Road to Big Rig Enterprises.

The total cost of the projects will be $851,661 with $500k being from the state grant the remaining $351,661 being local cost.

The funding is made available through the Annual Grant Program, a program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act. The Rebuild Alabama Act, overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Ivey in 2019, requires ALDOT to establish an annual program setting aside $10 million off the top of the state’s share of new gas tax revenue for local projects.

“Since becoming governor, with the support of Rebuild Alabama, we have embarked on more than 1,500 new road and bridge projects worth more than $5 billion. We certainly have more work in front of us, and I am proud to continue those efforts today,” Gov. Ivey said. “Every single penny generated by Rebuild Alabama has gone to road and bridge projects, and we are not relenting on our efforts any time soon.”

This is the third year of the Annual Grant Program, with $20 million in state funding awarded for local projects across since 2020.

This round of the Annual Grant Program results in 21 projects receiving state funding. Of those awarded projects, cities and counties contributed a total of over $2 million in local matching funds. Matching funds are not required to be eligible.

An additional round of local projects is expected later this year. It is anticipated that a number of projects will be under contract by the end of this year. All projects are required to move forward within one year of the awarding of funds.