County seeks $1M grant for road project
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County is seeking grant funding to improve safety along a 5.56-mile stretch of Highway 36 between Alabama 24 and U.S. 43 in the Isbell area.
The Franklin County Commission voted Monday to approve the Local Road Safety Initiative (LRSI) funding for Fiscal Year 2027.
The proposed project is estimated to cost $1,029,700. The grant would cover 90% of the cost with the county providing a required 10% local match., or $102,970.
The project would widen the roadway by about one foot on each side to create paved shoulders; add scored pavement edges; apply a high-friction micro surfacing treatment; correct roadway cross-slope issues; install raised pavement markers; and restripe the roadway.
County Engineer Jason Baggett said the section was selected because it carries a high volume of truck traffic and lacks paved shoulders.
Approximately 550 vehicles travel the corridor each day, including about 75 heavy commercial trucks, he said.
“It’s a major collector road that connects 43 and 24,” Baggett said. “Collectively, these improvements are intended to reduce the potential for roadway departure crashes and improve the driver guidance and enhance overall roadway safety.”
The scored pavement edges, commonly known as rumble strips, alert drivers who drift across the white line by creating vibration and noise.
The high-friction microsurfacing treatment consists of a liquid asphalt mixture with cement and aggregate that creates a more skidresistant road surface.
“It gives road surface extra friction,” Baggett said. “It adds a little grip to the road to keep you, hopefully, from leaving the roadway.”
Applications for the LRSI program are due at the end of July. Baggett said the grants are highly competitive.
If the grant is awarded, Baggett said plans would be completed over the winter with bids advertised next spring and construction beginning in late spring or early summer 2027.
Construction is expected to require temporary lane closures with flaggers but no detours. Baggett said the work would remain within the existing right of way with no known utility conflicts.
Baggett said Franklin County previously used similar federal High Risk Rural Roads funding for safety improvements on College Road, including guardrails, scored pavement edges, traffic striping and high-friction surfacing.
