U.S. Rep. Dale Strong represented North Alabama to the tune of millions of dollars for Fiscal Year 2024, securing the funding in an appropriations package that was signed into law last week.
“I am proud to return $18.5 million in taxpayer dollars back to Alabama’s Fifth District,” Strong said in a statement. “These dollars will go directly into improving critical infrastructure and public safety across North Alabama. As I’ve visited communities throughout the Tennessee Valley, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that impact my constituents on a daily basis.
“These investments will provide new capabilities for our local police to combat crime, expand the capacity of our roads and bridges, and make other needed infrastructure improvements. Our hard-earned tax dollars are best put to use by local leaders who understand the needs of their communities. I am fighting every day in Congress to improve life for all North Alabamians.”
The projects are:
- More than $14 million for transportation infrastructure projects to improve roadway safety and support continued growth throughout North Alabama, including $8.3 million to complete the Huntsville Northern Bypass project, which includes a 10-mile limited access highway between Interstate 565 and Memorial Parkway. Completion of this project will greatly alleviate traffic flow and congestion throughout the city for commuter and freight traffic.
- $980,000 for a project to add lanes on U.S. 72 from County Line Road to Providence Main Road which will significantly improve capacity in this corridor and be a major step toward meeting traffic demands of the cities of Madison and Huntsville as well as Madison County at large.
- $960,000 to allow Limestone County to complete widening, resurfacing, and drainage improvements on Bethel Road, from Mooresville Road to Alabama Highway 251, to safely accommodate the rise in traffic flow in that area, which feeds into Athens and Huntsville, two of the fastest growing cities in the state.
- $700,000 for the City of Athens to complete an access management and safety improvement project at the Line Road and U.S. 72 intersection, which has been identified as a high-crash location. It is expected that completion of this project will improve safety and traffic flow, reduce the number of accidents, and decrease travel time.
- $3.2 million for the Pryor Field Regional Airport in Tanner to make southeast taxiway enhancements, which will support the continued economic growth of the surrounding communities.
- More than $2.6 million for local law enforcement to purchase equipment and make upgrades to ensure that they are able to meet the evolving public safety needs of thousands of Alabamians, including:
- $1.02 million for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to purchase and outfit new patrol vehicles to replace current vehicles which are reaching the end of their operational life.
- $595,000 for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office to purchase public safety equipment, including vehicles and ballistic vests, among other equipment critical to the safety of law enforcement and correction officers as well as the public.
- $120,000 for the City of Scottsboro’s Police Department to purchase and outfit patrol vehicles to replace current vehicles which are reaching the end of their operational life.
- $425,000 for Limestone County to purchase and install next-generation P25 radios within public safety departments which will allow personnel to communicate both within their departments and across the state to respond to natural disasters and other public emergencies.
- $250,000 for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to purchase and outfit new patrol vehicles to replace current vehicles which are reaching the end of their operational life.
- $195,000 for improvements to the cameras in the Huntsville/Madison County Jail to ensure the safety of inmates, officers, and the surrounding community.
- $1.75 million for the City of Priceville, which is currently experiencing near 100% growth, to design and construct a new sewer pump station and gravity main, which is routinely unable to adequately pump the amount of flow the station receives, resulting in overflows.
