ADOT plans lighting project near WestRock mill

In the coming months, new roadway lighting will brighten the entrances on U.S. Hwy. 80 W near the WestRock Papermill.

The Alabama Department of Transportation awarded the construction contract to Stone & Sons Electrical Contractors Inc. of Birmingham for the low bid of just over $573,000. Work is expected to begin before April and is estimated to take six months to complete.

The project, located some six miles west of Demopolis, will provide safety improvements to the existing roadway in the area. WestRock operates 24 hours a day, generating a high volume of log and chip trucks entering and exiting the facility. Several accidents have occurred in the area, some involving overturned log and chip trucks associated with the mill operations.

The new LED roadway lighting will improve the visibility and safety of drivers traveling through this section of highway. According to ALDOT, studies show nighttime crashes can be reduced by as much as 38 percent with improved lighting.

Funding for the project comes from the ALDOT Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program – II (ATRIP-II) program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act passed in 2019. The annual program sets aside a minimum of $30 million from ALDOT’s share of new gas tax revenue for projects of local interest on the Alabama state higway system.

The project is sponsored b y the Marengo County Commission.