As Brittney Williamson and Simone Normand clipped and pruned their four-legged clients on Wednesday, the loud buzz of construction activity could be seen and heard from outside the Fairhope Groomery’s front window.

“It’s been a big pain in the butt, quite honestly,” mused Williamson, reflecting on two years of construction that has occurred on the state highway that runs adjacent to the mom-and-pop dog groomers.

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“We’re very excited for it to be done,” added Normand, attempting to take a more positive approach. “As much of a pain as it is, they appear to be almost done.”

The finishing touches are underway on a $30 million widening of one of the more consequential state highways in one of Alabama’s fastest growing counties.

Alabama State Route 181, which connects Interstate 10 in Malbis to U.S. 98 south of Fairhope, is among the top priorities for state and local officials. Much of the road is two lanes, but with the rapid growth of residential subdivisions and commercial businesses along and near the road, a demand is rising to alleviate traffic.

For 4-1/2 years, the widening of Route 181 has inched along and is set for completion this summer. Once finished, the highway will expand from two lanes to four for approximately 4 miles extending from Baldwin County 64 in Daphne south to Alabama State Route 104 in Fairhope.

“We’re excited about it,” Daphne Mayor Robin LeJeune said. “It’s been a longtime coming.”

‘Taken forever’

Paving is well underway, as evident by the multiple construction zones and lane closures this week. An ALDOT official anticipates have multiple layers of paving completed by the end of February, at which time the final layer of paving will take place. Crews also need to install guardrails, signage, and striping.

The overall project was expected to be completed within 435 working days from its start, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation. That timeline was extended an extra 45-days to account for the addition of a culvert, extending the working days to 480.

But how “working days” are determined is impacted by external factors like weather and shipping delays. Rain, utility conflicts, supply chain holdups, among other things, can disrupt a project and alter the working days of a construction project. Liquidated damages can be assessed on contractors for projects that run over the allowed or adjusted time frames for reasons determined “outside the control of the contractor,” though penalties are not assessed until after a project is completed.

Ammons & Blackmon Construction LLC is the main contractor for Route 181, and 10 subcontractors have been working on the project throughout its construction. The initial construction contract was for $19.9 million, but it’s since been adjusted to $22.9 million.

“Any road construction takes longer than we’d like it to,” said Elliott, who says he’s in contact with ALDOT and is pushing the contractor to move the project toward completion.

“This road project has been discussed since the Riley Administration,” Elliott said, referring to former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, who was governor from 2003-2011. “It’s taken forever for it to get approved and funded and moving forward.”

Southern extension

But even when the project is finished, there will be a call for more along Route 181. Officials in Fairhope, Daphne as well as state lawmakers are clamoring for funding to extend the road widening further south past a Walmart Supercenter in Fairhope to Baldwin County 32.

And in future years, the goal is to extend the road to Route 98.

“It needs to go south,” said state Senator Chris Elliott, R-Daphne. “It needs to go way further south.”

There could be some hiccups toward further developing the project, as Route 181 south of Route 104 abuts well-developed rural residential neighborhoods. A group of residents south of the current construction zone have already voiced their concerns before the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization about future extensions harming environmentally sensitive areas.

Fairhope City Councilman Jack Burrell, who serves as the chairman of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Commission, said that environmental concerns might need to be studied, which could delay future extensions.

Said Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan, “I think the biggest concern (expressed to the city) is the area to the south of Walmart. (Residents) want to know whether they will have a hard time getting in and out of their subdivisions.”

In addition, there is no funding identified toward ending the road south. Elliott pegs the rough estimate at $30 million to $40 million, though he admits that “it’s hard to pin down” given the rise in construction costs in recent years.

“The state DOT needs to take into account that Baldwin County is the fastest growing in the state and we have 8,000 (new residents) a year and our infrastructure needs will continue,” Elliott said. “ALDOT’s priorities need to be placed in areas that are growing where people are going and not to areas where there are shrinking populations.”

Elliott said that funding is also not identified toward completing the U.S. 31 road expansion project in Spanish Fort. The highway is a four-lane thoroughfare through Spanish Fort, but the highway narrows to town lanes north of the city where newer subdivisions have surfaced in recent years. As such, traffic congestion has increased along Route 31, especially with Rockwell Elementary School along the roadway.

“Everyone knows that project needs to be continued to (Route) 59,” said Elliott. “The MPO is talking about it, but there is no state funding dedicated to it.”

Development

The mayors of Fairhope and Daphne are hopeful to see the project completed and are anticipating commercial activity along the expanded roadway. A Publix grocery store at Route 181 and 104 is set to open before June.

LeJeune said the challenge for his city is to convince commercial developers to annex into his city. He said there is a mix of county and city property along and near Route 181.

“The goal is to make sure when these developments happen, (the developers) understand the advantages of coming into the city,” LeJeune said. “We do think with the widening and additional growth along 181, we’ll see commercial (development).”

Sullivan, Fairhope’s mayor, said there are discussions about widening Route 104 – at the site of the new Publix and a developing USA Medical Center complex. Wawa is constructing a food market and convenience store at the intersection as well.

“They are already talking about widening 104, which will help with that intersection,” she said.

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That means construction activity will continue, even though the meat of the Route 181 activity will subside soon at the front of the Fairhope Groomery.

Normand said that seeing the paving begin was a cause for celebration.

“We were taking pictures (of the paving) and I was like, ‘Thank God,’” she said.