Long-Awaited Charlie Shirley Road Resurfacing Begins

NORTHPORT, AL — The wait is nearly over for the countless commuters who use Charlie Shirley Road every day as paving work is set to begin.

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Charlie Shirley Road — which is pocked with cracks and deep potholes — is currently marked with numerous roadwork signs.

District 4 Councilwoman Jamie Dykes told Patch that when she was running for office, she campaigned on getting Charlie Shirley Road resurfaced and, following the due diligence of city officials, the project is finally coming to fruition.

Dykes then said crews have already started filling in holes along the road and she said the real paving and widening work is likely to begin next week.

"They've got to move mailboxes so it can be widened and I would think that has to be done first," she explained. "The biggest delay was the right of way and those mailboxes."

She also praised the work of Northport City Engineer Tera Tubbs, who is tasked with overseeing the city's long list of street resurfacing projects.

As Patch reported in November 2022, the City of Northport has taken on an ambitious series of street repaving projects — allocating $4 million in the previous 18 months.

Charlie Shirley Road and other major resurfacing projects, such as Watermelon Road and Rose Boulevard, will be made possible through supplemental funding from the city's Metropolitan Planning Organization.

"It was really teamwork that got it done," she said. "I drive that road every day so I know the condition it’s in and I am as excited as anyone to have that road paved. People don’t understand what a long process it is to get a road paved. We may approve the funding but not actually see dirt turning until a year or two later."

District 5 councilman and City Council President Jeff Hogg told Patch said anything involving governmental red tape is always a marathon and not a sprint.

"We are very fortunate to leverage our tax dollars with the help of the MPO to see this project come to fruition," he said. "The partnerships created have generated a sustained value for our citizens and one that I am grateful for. Other areas are being looked at as well and we will continue to knock out each deserving road one by one until our citizens needs are met in terms of paving projects. Our mayor and Council are forward thinking people still with many milestones left to achieve."

ALDOT says the project should take 35 working days from when paving begins on the 2.39-mile stretch of road from U.S. Highway 43 to Alabama Highway 69. According to the ALDOT proposal item summary, the agency estimates the project will cost between $1.17 million and $1.4 million.

Apart from the resurfacing work, the Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission says $9.2 million in intersection improvements are in the works at Charlie Shirley Road and Highway 69. This separate project is currently in the preliminary engineering phase, with TCRIC estimating the project to begin sometime in late 2023.

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