By Jean Cole  

For the Enquirer  

Five major roads or sections of roads are set for resurfacing before winter in Hartselle. 

Public Works Director Curtis Self said those roads — selected based on condition and projected cost — include: 

• Barkley Bridge Road from Nance Ford Road to the city limits. 
• Railroad Street from its southern-most point north to Love Lady Street. This and the Barkley Bridge Road resurfacing combined will cost $410,000.
• Barkley Street Southwest from Hickory Street Southwest south to U.S. 31 at a cost of $83,000.
• High Street Southwest from Pearl Street south to Karl Prince Drive Southwest at a cost of $53,000.
• Limestone Street Southwest from Corsbie Street to U.S. 31 at a cost of $27,500. 

“We will definitely try to do all of these projects this year,” Self said. “And we plan to crack-seal various roads this summer — as many as we can get to, but there is a large list that need it.” 

Most of the roads are ready for work to begin, but Limestone Street is the exception, Self said. 

“On Limestone Street, we are working with Hartselle Utilities because there are some utilities issues we’re going to have to work though on that,” Self said. “They need to do their work before we pave it.” 

Hartselle Mayor Randy Garrison explained how various streets make the repair list. 

Not all the roads can be repaired in a year, so the roads are ranked and the city addresses them according to rank and available money. 

“Recently, the council had Sain Associates of Alabama study the city’s roads and work up a 10-year plan that ranked all of Hartselle’s roads on whether they needed to be resurfaced or repaired,” Garrison said. 

Roadwork is paid for with money from three different city funds — the 4 % gasoline fund, which generates about $6,400 a month; the 7% gasoline fund, which generates about $4,012 a month; and the Rebuild Alabama Tax Fund, which generates about $10,500 a month, said City Clerk Rita Lee. Together they generate a yearly average of $250,944, she said.   

The cost of Barkley Bridge Road and Railroad Street will be paid for with $410,000 already set aside by the city for the projects, Self said. He did not know the precise cost of each project. He said the city has also applied for a $250,000 grant to offset this $410,000 cost but the city hasn’t been notified whether its application was successful.