In 2018, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) saw the need to reconstruct Lurleen Wallace Blvd. instead of continuing to patch and repair the heavily-traveled roadway. As part of the project, ALDOT partnered with the City of Tuscaloosa to create a joint project so that the City could replace aging utility infrastructure and provide for enhanced aesthetics for the project to match adjacent downtown streets.
TTL provided roadway and utility relocation design and performed Construction Engineering and Inspection (CE&I) services for the $22 million roadway pavement replacement and streetscape project. Major aspects of the project included completely rebuilding 5-lane sections (3 through lanes and dedicated left and right turn lanes in each direction) through 8 intersections northbound and southbound, replacing underground and overhead utilities, reducing the overall pavement width to increase landscape, changing existing traffic signals to new adaptive traffic signals, and retaining access to existing businesses and residences under the roadway traffic. The coordinated effort took place by assembling multiple phases that ran concurrently throughout the project limits. Pedestrian safety was a top priority in considering sidewalk and ADA improvements along both sides of Lurleen Wallace North and South. To create a more pedestrian safe environment in the downtown area, each intersection included narrowing of the crossing width at intersections on side streets at all 16 intersections. The project also included relocating City overhead utilities below ground in fiber optic duct banks. Other utilities relocated include a new Digital Messaging Board, water distribution, fire protection improvements, and sanitary sewer improvements within the 16-block downtown area. TTL coordinated the relocations with AT&T, Comcast, Alabama Power, the Tuscaloosa Department of Transportation (TDOT), ALDOT, Tuscaloosa County, and the City of Tuscaloosa.