The project was facilitated by Drummond Company, the Birmingham-based coal producer, and supported by a $3 million federal grant administered by the ADOL’s Abandoned Mine Land Revitalization Program, a program using federal funding approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The federal money is to be used for the land reclamation on the site.
The first phase of development at the Heritage Landing site is expected to be complete in 2024.
Photo courtesy of Gov. Kay Ivey Flickr account Ground-breaking at Heritage Landing in Walker County.
The site also is close to a Class 1 rail line.
An ultramodern development is slated to be built at the site, one that will be customized for retail, commercial and industrial companies.Atenant for the site is yet to be chosen,
mines are properly reclaimed, which eliminates safety hazards and allows the land to be re-developed. In addition to cleaning up this site and making it safer, this project has the potential to create positive economic progress for residents in the area.”
A total of 24,707 cu. yds. of fill material will be moved during construction, along with 24,215 cu. yds. of topsoil. sponsored by:
ALABAMA STATE EDITION A Supplement to: Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479 ® “The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” September 21 2022 Vol. XXIV • No. 19
ConstructionCORRESPONDENTcrews in Tuskegee, Ala., are working on the first phase of a master-planned industrial park that’s been years in the making.
Alabama Political Reporter noted that Ivey was joined at the event by Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, and Alabama Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington.
Alabama Political Reporter reported Aug. 25 that the property, while now owned by Drummond, was extensively mined in the early- to mid-20th Century by companies that no longer exist. Drummond, however, never had any mining operations at the site, per a release from the company.
In his own press statement, ADOL Secretary Washington explained, “The work our Abandoned Mine Land Program does is essential in ensuring that old, dangerous
Heritage Landing UtilizingRe-Claimed Land
The 683-acre Regional East Alabama Logistics (REAL) Park in Macon County is expected to dramatically boost economic growth in the area when completed.
with the first phase of development meant to lay the groundwork for future designs and plans that the eventual tenant occupant will select. Partners, including Alabama Power, will supply electric, water, sewage and highspeed broadband internet access to the property, according to the ADOL.
Development Breaks Ground On Former Mine Site Near Dora, Ala.
Affordable Price. Premium Service. Thousands in Service!
“As someone who is the proud daughter of rural Alabama, I will continue to champion growth for every corner of our state, and it begins with projects like Heritage Landing. Yet again, Walker County and Alabama are taking a major step forward.”
“I was proud to join the Walker County Development Authority and Drummond Company to break ground on the new Heritage Park,” Ivey said in a statement from her office. “No doubt, this visionary project is the result of teamwork and innovative thinking, both of which are necessary for Alabama to continue achieving success.
The Heritage Landing development site encompasses approximately 50 acres of unreclaimed land near the town of Dora in southern Walker County, just off Interstate 22 northbound via Exit 78.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, along with several other state government officials, attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Heritage Landing development in Walker County on Aug. 24. The project is being constructed on land that was once the site of a mine decades ago.
By Cindy Riley CEG
see REAL page 10 CALL 800-367-4937 *On approved credit Financing Available SHIP WITHIN 48 HOURS SAME DAY PARTS AVAILABILITY 24 HOUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT BACKED BY A 75 YEAR BUSINESS State Supplement
Burkett added that the same section of Ala. 24 had a slide repair in the 1990s, and, more recently, pavement repairs also have needed to be made along the roadway.
“Fundingexpected.through the [Clark Planning Organization] has been put off a little while longer,” he explained. “We plan to straighten West Morgan Road and replace the bridge along there to make it safer.”However, Clark told The Advertiser that it might be 12 to 18 months before that work begins.
“This group is focused on helping us position for future growth,” he said.
Lane Issue Forces Motorists to Be Cautious
30 acres and include new rail spurs in collaboration with Genessee and Wyoming Railroad. The wood pellet facility will be an around-the-clock, 365-day operation.
told The Advertiser. “I’ve had a couple of complaints from residents who are wondering when it might be repaired. It’s been an inconvenience.”Hesaidapositive aspect to the closed lane is that it slows eastbound traffic coming off Trinity Mountain.“Coming down that hill with too much speed causes some safety problems at that light [Ala. 24 at West Morgan Road],” according to Goodwin. “At least the traffic is going slower through there now.”
“This facility and the investment [we are making] will further strengthen the overall forestry economy and bring a world-class wood fiber operating facility to the Dothan area, producing 180,000 megatons of wood pellets annually,” Bax said.
The lane’s shutdown has been an “inconvenience” to motorists, said Seth Burkett, an ALDOT spokesperson. He told The Moulton Advertiser that the lane has been closed for several months because of a “slide in the slope.”
Nearby, Peak Renewables will construct a wood pellet production facility that will use sawmill residuals to make pellets utilized in renewable power generation. That $30 million project will generate 26 jobs at the new facility in Dothan.
trict’s highway and street maintenance shop has widened both roads to make them safer. He warned that West Morgan Road southeast of Ala. 24 also is partially closed, with traffic having been rerouted onto Lamon Road.
Houston County Improvements...
“Once the contract is awarded, we anticipate a contractor mobilizing immediately to begin work and completing the repair within a couple of months,” he continued.
“We are proud and very appreciative of our partnership with SmartLam North America and welcome our new corporate partner [in] Peak Renewables,” they said. “Both companies represent a significant impact to continue the building and developing of Southeast Alabama as a center for excellence for forestry product manufacturing and SmartLam’sinnovation.”Ratchford praised the state, local agencies, and community partners that made his company’s project possible.
“They will be allowed to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Once a contractor is chosen and begins work at the site, ALDOT wants the company to construct a soldier pile retaining wall that will measure about 28 ft. high and 330 ft. long. The reinforced wall will be built to prevent further movement,
The Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce said the two projects represent one of the largest combined industrial investments in the history of southeast Alabama’s Wiregrass region. The city expects the Peak Renewable wood pellet plant to become operational in 2023, followed by the opening of the SmartLam expansion in 2024.
Burkett said.
In the past year, he told the Moulton news source that his dis-
The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has announced that repairs to a dangerous dip in the closed outside eastbound lane of Alabama Highway 24 on Trinity Mountain, west of Decatur in the northern part of the state, could be wrapped up within two months and the lane reopened once a contractor is selected from a list of submitted bids.
Pair of Wood-Based Manufacturers Invest Large in Dothan
Houston County, Ala., officials announced that infrastructure improvements will allow two growing businesses to make new capital investments totaling a combined $92 million in Dothan as part of projects that will create at least 70 jobs and provide a boost to the region’s forestry industry.
Morgan County District 1 Commissioner Jeff Clark said some motorists might opt to use Whitlow and Lamon roads to avoid the construction area once work begins on the partially collapsed roadway.
He added, “We are strategically located in Alabama to serve the southeast, the fastest growing mass timber market in the United States. We are currently the largest CLT manufacturer in North America and with the glulam addition, SmartLam will become the largest mass timber producer in North America.”Theplant expansion will allow the company to buy high-strength timber from landowners throughout Central and Southern Alabama. It is the first and largest manufacturer using Southern Yellow Pine to produce CLT.
That is welcome news to motorists that use Ala. 24, a major traffic corridor for Lawrence County commuters traveling eastnortheast between their homes and Decatur, in Morgan County, and Huntsville, in Madison County.
“We’ve been monitoring this area for a while, but it seems the heavy rains in 2019 and 2020 may have somewhat accelerated the gradual downslope movement of material,” explained Burkett.
“It will be surrounded by a safety fence and the shoulder will be lined with a guardrail,” he explained. “Traffic impacts during work are anticipated to be minimal. It will probably only require [shutting down] the lane that is alreadyALDOTclosed.”estimates the price tag for the Ala. 24 lane repair to be between $2 million and $2.5 million, he said.
The highway lane closure is in the police jurisdiction of the small town of Trinity, Mayor Vaughn Goodwin said. The road repairs are south of the community of 2,500 people.“We haven’t had any accidents there that I’m aware of,” Goodwin
DOT Reviews Bids to Make Geotechnical Repairs to Dip in Road
“There are a lot of moving parts to support these developments, and we cannot thank our state, city, county and chamber team enough for their work and support,” said Brad Kimbro, chair of the Dothan Chamber.
ImprovementsInfrastructureOn Tap
Through partnerships with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), Houston County, and the City of Dothan, a new access road will be constructed to serve the new industrial sites.
In addition, Dothan Utilities will provide water extensions and electric utility service.
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Growth Plans
Forecasts Call for Positive Local Impact
“The forest products industry has long been a central pillar for Alabama’s economy, and its vitality is attracting significant levels of new investment and driving job growth across the state,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama DOC. “These new investment projects in Dothan will inject additional vigor and innovation into this critical sector.”
The news was reported Sept. 9 by Made in Alabama, the news division of the Alabama Department of Commerce (DOC).
SmartLam also will add equipment to fully automate its existing 225,000-sq.-ft. plant to produce two million cu. ft. of CLT annually.“Most mass timber glulam/columns are manually produced,” Ratchford explained. “The new plant will be automated, allowing SmartLam to significantly increase production and simultaneously deliver multiple mass timber projects.”
To grow Peak Renewables in Dothan, CEO Scott Bax said his company will utilize
SmartLam North America CEO Derek Ratchford told Made in Alabama that his company’s investment will allow it to construct a 140,000-sq.-ft. custom glulam manufacturing plant with the capacity to produce 84 million board ft. each year.
In addition, Clark said that West Morgan Road between Ala. 24 and Old Moulton Road has a narrow bridge that has been deemed unsafe, and the start of work on improving that structure is taking longer than
SmartLam North America, a maker of cross laminated timber (CLT) products at a factory in Dothan, will invest $62 million to build a new glulam manufacturing plant there that will produce large beams and columns for the construction industry. The project will create 43 jobs.
Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba and Houston County Chairman-Elect Brandon Shoupe released a joint statement saying the two projects will enhance the area’s forestry industry and generate more jobs through economic ripple effects.
“We have a lot of infrastructure support needed to ready these developments for their operations to meet Peak Renewables and SmartLam’s [requirements], so we will be onTheit.” project will involve the construction of a new industrial access road, as well as water and electric utility improvements.
Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 21, 2022 • Page 3 Atlanta, GA 404-696-7210 Birmingham, AL 205-841-6666 Madison, AL 256-350-0006 Mobile, AL 251-633-4020 Montgomery, AL 334-262-6642 Oxford, AL 256-832-5053 Pensacola, FL 850-479-3004 Tuscaloosa, AL 205-848-4147 800-239-2694 | COWIN.COM
Page 4 • September 21, 2022 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Gulf Shores airport officials are pursuing commercial flights to help city officials in alleviating congested beachbound roadways, especially Ala. 59.
The first phase of its revitalization begins with the Gadsden Readiness and Career Education Academy, or GRACE Academy, designed to offer on-the-job construction training to local students and adults.
The project involves a two-phased approach with an estimated $3.7 million initial investment going toward the con-
He credited Gadsden’s Lana Bellew, a professional grant writer, with securing the funding.“Dr.Bellew discovered this grant where we can help with workforce development,” Reddick explained. “That’s been an issue in our city, community and in our county for many, many years. And so, we saw an opportunity to take advantage of this by offering training programs in commercial construction, plumbing and electrical technology — all hands-on simulators.”
VINCI is one of the world’s leading private airport operators with more than 50 airports under its management in 11 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The construction industry grant, however, proved a more beneficial opportunity, he explained. The grant caused the Gadsden
Airport Facility to Aid in Vehicle Congestion
Agreement in Place for Construction
The program will be funded by a grant from the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Board (CICT), Reddick said.
Now, the question is: Which carrier will be offering flights, and to where?
“It’s a wild state of affairs right now but the biggest growth [for commercial aviation] is leisure markets,” Scott Fuller, director of Gulf Shores International Airport and Jack Edwards Field told AL.com. “That’s what they are selling. We’re an ideal market for low-cost carriers and they have to put them somewhere.”
Airport officials are optimistic of building a permanent, two-gate terminal that will replace the modular structure. Earlier estimates pegged that project at $24 million, and TBI and VINCI Airports will be in charge of the construction and operations of the new facility, according to AL.com.
Local officials believe Gulf Shores could be an attractive site for commercial flights and think the future airport can work in conjunction with similar traffic at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, located 18 mi. northwest of Panama City.
City Schools Board to “change direction for the better,” Reddick said, especially considering work will begin on GRACE Academy’s first three classrooms as soon as October.Providing social and emotional education tools are still a focus for Reddick, but he said that technical training lends itself to “addressing a more permanent need in terms of providing work skills for the community.”
Reddick confirmed that, indeed, GRACE Academy students will practice construction, plumbing, and electrical skills on parts of the old high school building — even taking on the task of restoring some of its classrooms.Headded that the program aims to train 250 participants in the program’s first year.
The Gulf Shores Airport Authority, the governing agency of the airport located north of the Intercoastal Waterway off Alabama Highway 59, signed an agreement with Atlantabased TBI Airport Management and VINCI Airports for the construction of the new commercial air terminal.
“We are going back to the 1940s where you have to walk out to your airplane and climb in,” Fuller said.
“It’s just an opportunity for our participants to learn a work-ready trade,” Reddick said in speaking to the Gadsden news source. “The commitment that we have from some of our local businesses [means] they can just about put them to work immediately.”The program had long been conceptualized as GRACE Academy, but it once had a much different focus.
“I felt as superintendent that while we still use the facility somewhat, there could be additional purposes assigned to it,” explained Reddick. “Obviously, there are some areas that are in disrepair. There are some roofing needs that limit us to what we can do in certain parts of the building, but in
GRACE Academy students will train for 16 weeks, allowing for three cohorts — one each during the fall, spring and summer semesters.“These will be individuals who, once they’re done with their 16-week cohort, will have learned enough of a skill to actually go to work, so that’s what we’re most excited about,” Reddick said.
Old Gadsden High School to Become Workforce Development Site
Studies show that almost all visitors to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach arrive by vehicle. Of the approximately seven million people who visited the beach communities in 2018 and 2019, a whopping 92 percent arrived by car or truck during peak summer travel months.
The Gadsden school superintendent admitted to the Gadsden news source that he had dreamed of many uses for the old high school building in the years since its closing. While a portion of the old high school building currently houses the alternative school, it only accounts for a fraction of the available space.“We’ve always had a passion for the old Gadsden High School,” Reddick said. “[It is a] beautiful facility, but very limited in its use.”The three classrooms slated to be converted to laboratory space for GRACE Academy are located on the opposite side of the building from the current alternative school.
The beauty of housing a construction industry training program in an old building is that the location itself can serve as a learning opportunity, the Messenger noted.
A groundbreaking on the modular facility could take place in late October, said Fuller.
talks are ongoing with a larger carrier, and announcements were expected this summer. That did not happen, but Fuller told AL.com that he believes the construction of a terminal at Gulf Shores will eventually attract a commercial carrier.
“It’s very hard to lure someone in here when you don’t have a facility,” he noted, adding that airlines tend to announce “four months out” before they begin providing service in a market.
“[It] is intended to serve adults as well as students,” Reddick noted. “It does not conflict with our career tech program because we’re not offering a credit for it, [nor] a certification for it. We will guide these participants to an opportunity for certification, but it’s mostly on-the-job training.”
Local businesses will “lend” instructors to lead trainings, and several also have agreed to hire workforce development program participants after their training is complete, the Messenger reported.
He sees the GRACE Academy program as an attractive one for local students and workers preparing to enter or reenter the workforce.“Ithink in a situation where you’ve got a training opportunity [and] there’s a job basically just waiting for [participants], that should invite more people to consider taking advantage of it,” he said.
The old Gadsden High School, located on 12th Street in the northeastern Alabama city, has rested in disrepair for years since the merger of the town’s three former high schools into Gadsden City High School in 2006.But that is about to change, according to Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Tony Reddick. The building will soon be the site of multiple developments in the coming years, Reddick told the Gadsden Messenger.
“We are telling [them] we will be ready by March 1,” he added.Fuller said he was “cautiously optimistic” about a carrier operating from Gulf Shores by that date.
“Some time ago, I came up with the idea of what I call GRACE Academy, which at the time [stood for] Gadsden Rehabilitative Alternative Center for Education, where we were primarily concerned about our students who were struggling with maybe mental health and other issues where we thought counseling was necessary,” Reddick said.
Alabama’s beaches will have an “interim” airport available for commercial flights by March 1, 2023, the Gulf Shores airport authority announced Sept. 7.
Fuller has said that two airlines — Sun Country, which services flights to Minneapolis, and Elite Airways, which offers flights to Nashville — are slated to fly in and out of
Will Airlines Come?
GulfHeShores.saidthat
struction of an interim terminal. It will include electronic kiosks, ticket counters and enough space for TSA screeners, a holding room and restrooms.
He added that the program will be open to a wide range of participants.
this area we’re in fairly good shape.”
Gulf Shores Plans to Build, Open ‘Interim’ Airport Terminal
Fuller said he hopes the opening of the planned 12,000sq.-ft. modular terminal will fuel interest among airlines in coming to Gulf Shores.
A baggage claim area at the Gulf Shores facility will be covered but located outdoors.
“With the level of interest and existing demand, we do not plan to be in the interim [terminal] for long,” Fuller said, although he admitted it could take several years to build a permanent facility.
“The only reason to address interim facilities is to accommodate traffic now and not wait for a two-year design and construction project to be completed,” he explained.
Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 21, 2022 • Page 5
Page 6 • September 21, 2022 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 21, 2022 • Page 7 DOYOUK PANDGPDOTHENKNOWYOURARTNUMAOUKYNUSEMBER?WYSARTAGET.COM.TS.CNUSEA FORUUSINGYOGETREWGETREW T® WURCARDEDAA CARDAND10%*GOFF! pay AYY you, and it s onlyThere’ FOR U P CatGotowww yment terms and acc ARTS OA . No at just got better one card specificall USING Y FOR YOUR P tFinancialcom cess to special offer with flexiOVER TIME annual fee,equipmencompetit®ly for Cat UR C tivers.ible rates, nt users like USECPROCOSEPROMO AARTEDGET S OW TAN NOSC T to apply.CatforGo to www your tFinancial.comcard. 10ALALCODECOLLYEAR*LLROOMOE:YCODE: Cat “Modern Hex”A© 2022 Caterpillar trade dress as well as corporate and product identit TERPILLAR, LET’S DO THCATAll Rights Reserved. CA ty used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and ma HE WORK, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Corporay not be used without permission. ,” the “Power Edge” andellowrate Y
Indeed, city officials are focusing on transportation as a priority and hope some of their plans can reverse the low scores it received.
The award was the result of a 2021 residents’ survey in which the city got high marks on almost everything — public safety, trash and recycling, quality-of-life and emergency medical services.
“The pedestrian bridge will go to bid later this year if not early next year and that project will also take about two years to complete so all of these projects should be wrapping up toward the end of 2024.”
The city also is looking to restripe Ala. 161 to extend a westerly turn lane from the highway onto Canal Road. No cost estimate has been disclosed for that project.
When completed, the pedestrian bridge will rise 74 ft. above the water. Including its ramps, the structure will have a total length of 1,800 ft.
to the state last year.
In addition, the city got another $2 million from a grant program administered by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to help fund the Ala. 59 widening project. For its part, Gulf Shores is contributing approximately $15 million in matching costs for the two projects.
“We will get started later this year on the Ala. 59 project and that will take about two years to complete,” explained Gulf Shores City Engineer Mark Acreman.
Plans Call for Pedestrian Bridge, Rerouting of Ala. 180
Mark Acreman Gulf Shores
Acreman told AL.com that the city also is working with ALDOT to provide a detour route for Ala. 180/Canal Road around the work zone while the pedestrian bridge is under construction. Additionally, a long-term strategy of diverting Ala. 180 traffic from the entertainment district of Gulf Shores is under consideration.
Highway Widening to Soon Commence
The 1.4-mi.-long section of Canal Road will be expanded to three lanes to allow for a middle turn lane. A roundabout will be constructed near the public library and a 10-ft. multiuse path will be created on the north side of the road between Callaway Drive and Wilson Boulevard.
Thompson Engineering is the project engineer, and John G. Walton Construction Co. Inc. was awarded the construction contract for $7.36 million. Both firms are located across the bay in Mobile.
The highlight of the city’s transportation plan is the expansion of Ala. 59 from Coastal Gateway Boulevard south over the W.C. Holmes Memorial Bridge to Fort Morgan Road.
Those and other cities across Alabama needed to approve their annual transportation plans before Aug. 31 to receive fuel tax revenues as part of the Rebuild Alabama Act, the 2019 law that ushered in a statewide 10-cent-per-gallon tax hike to finance road improvements.
In Gulf Shores, its council endorsed a 3 percent increase in the city’s lodging tax rate in 2021 to generate enough revenue to move ahead with a road construction plan that includes, among other things, a widening of Alabama Highway 59, the main route leading to the city’s beaches.
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The project includes building one additional lane on southbound Ala. 59.
Beach Cities Plan Bridge, Road Projects to Improve Mobility
Most of the cost for the project will be paid for with postBP oil spill funds from RESTORE, an acronym for Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourism Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012. The grant will cover $5.9 million.
Recent state tourism figures show that 8 million people visited Baldwin County in 2021, representing more than 28 percent of all visitors who came to the state last year.
“We got a low rating on that, but we know it’s a priority,” said Lindsey Hart, Gulf Shores’s public engagement manager.
Alexander added that the city is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a permit to move forward with the bridge, once estimated to cost around $50 million. The final design of the structure is on hold until the city receives a permit, she explained.
The U.S. Department of the Interior needs to sign off the rerouting of the road through a portion of Gulf State Park, he said. The federal agency is reviewing the proposed Ala. 180 East realignment as well as the city lands offered in exchange for right-of-way connected to that project, Acreman noted.
Gulf Shores, Ala., is considered “one of the best places in the country to live.”
Gulf Shores’s fiscal year 2023 transportation plan, which includes the city’s immediate transportation priorities, also was approved at the council meeting.
There is no timeframe for the Interior Department’s approval, but he added that “if we do not receive [it] in a timely manner, we will have to route the traffic around the neighborhood utilizing city-owned property. We are developing several options but haven’t reached a definitive route yet.”
Kit Alexander, Orange Beach’s director of community development, said one of the city’s longer-term projects remains the construction of the new Wolf Bay Bridge that would extend from Ala. 161 near Doc’s Seafood to Sapling Point on the north shore of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Orange Beach Projects On Tap
At least, that was the claim expressed by a city official in late August before presenting the “Leading the Way” award to the Gulf Shores City Council.
The only bad mark was in “flow of traffic/ease of getting around the city,” and it was not even close to being a good score — only 21 percent of respondents reported satisfaction with the traffic, far lower than the southeast average of 60 percent, AL.com reported.
Nearby in Orange Beach, work has begun on the East Canal Road widening RESTORE grant project from Ala. 161 to Wilson Boulevard.
As part of the project, Gulf Shores will remove a bicyclepedestrian lane off Ala. 59. To accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists who use the Holmes Memorial bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, the city is planning to build a separate structure for pedestrians and bicyclists adjacent to Tacky Jack’s restaurant.
Meanwhile, Orange Beach, just east of Gulf Shores, saw its fiscal year transportation plan go into effect on Sept. 1.
In coastal Alabama, the two beach cities wrestle with major traffic congestion each year as large crowds continue to flock to the state’s beaches. Recent state tourism figures show that 8 million people visited Baldwin County in 2021, representing more than 28 percent of all visitors who came
A total of $14.4 million to improve transportation options for visitors and residents was awarded to Gulf Shores by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), through its BUILD Grant program. The money will be applied toward the construction of the pedestrian bridge.
The adoption of the transportation plan in Gulf Shores allowed it to receive $99,754 in the extra state fuel tax revenues, while Orange Beach will get $50,687.
Yet another project on the Gulf Shores’s priority list, AL.com reported, is the “Waterway East Extension” — an approximately $20 million connector road from Ala. 59 to East 1st Street toward East 27th Avenue, with the latter roadway extended north around the city’s international airport to the Foley Beach Expressway.
“The pedestrian bridge will go to bid later this year if not early next year and that project will also take about two years to complete,” Acreman added. “So, all of these projects should be wrapping up toward the end of 2024.”
“We will get started later this year on the Ala. 59 project and that will take about two years to complete.”
Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 21, 2022 • Page 9
“We will be completing offsite traffic modifications, including additional turn lanes and more enhancements as the industrial park continues to expand. The project will have an ALDOT standard road that spans throughout the entire industrial park. This is a unique opportunity to serve such an important community and help bring jobs to an area that has often been overlooked and underinvested.”
“REAL Park has three phases planned and can change and accelerate that model based on the market and demand,” he said. “We see a park that can ultimately accommodate a dozen or more buildings and at least five million square feet.”The estimated price tag will change with build-out and customer specification, with 169,000 sq. ft. expandable up to roughly 250,000 sq. ft. Costs vary, but range from approximately $15-25 million.
“Currently, we are working on the site installing drainage ditches, domestic water line, fire water line and installing the Industrial Park Drive main roadway,” said Oxford. “We are pouring our continuous footings in preparation to start pouring the Tasksslab.”yetto
“The genesis of this project is based on relationships, dreams and daring entrepreneurship,” said Turnham. “It’s a model of how communities, investors, developers, utilities, contractors and other stakeholders can pull off a regional gem and create inventory for the state of Alabama to market, as Thewell. spec building is designed by MCA Architects of South Carolina and is a versatile space with tilt-wall construction that can be adapted for various uses. It can easily be divided into smaller spaces for multiple individual tenants.
“The site was relatively flat. No clearing was involved. We were able to strip the topsoil and go to work.”
“The chronological steps that need to be taken for a tilt-up project are site evaluation, engineering, footings and floor slabs, forming tilt-up panels, steel placement, embeds and inserts, concrete placement, panel erection and panel finishing.”Completed construction includes all under slab utilities and interior footings, but much work remains.
Turnham added, “This project is a dream and case study of how public and private collaboration make new economic reality. As Governor Kay Ivey said at the June groundbreaking ceremony, this is good for Alabama.”
Oxford said site work is a lengthy process, because of the size of the “Concreteproperty.willbe time-consuming as well, as we are pouring the slab that is 168,480 square feet, and then the tilt walls. The total volume of concrete will be approximately 5,200 cubicOneyards.”ofthe big advantages for crews has been working on an existing sod farm.
“It’s truly an honor to be associated with a project that has the potential to provide such an economic impact to the Macon County community,” said Oxford.
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“We are currently under construction on the first building and are continuing design on the overall site. We have completed the majority of site work and will be pouring the slab in several weeks. We will continue construction from now until the first quarter of 2023, when we will deliver the first building.”Williams pointed out, “Tilt-wall construction is the preferred method of construction for this type of industrial building in this part of the U.S., and has a useful life greater than 50 years, representing a solid structure that will attract high quality industrial users seeking a Class-A product.
“Doster is one of Alabama’s top construction companies, and has been a super professional partner,” said Turnham. “They have a superior design-build team and move quickly and nimbly to meet client needs.”
Doster Construction Using Tilt-Up Method at REAL Park
be carried out include forming and pouring the tilt wall, erecting the tilt wall, erecting the structural steel and receiving and installing the TPO roof.
“The park is being developed in three phases,” said Joe Turnham, director of the Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA). “The large acreage affords the community and developer the ability to offer site arrangements and clusters of larger acreage lots that accommodate buildings up to one million square feet, or buildings of 200,000 square feet. Large parcels along the I-85 corridor are becoming increasingly rare, and this large acreage park allows Macon County and REAL Park to compete in a limitedThespace.”project, an effort led by Farpoint Development and the local Bassett family, is situated on a portion of the existing Beck’s Turf Farm. Turnham said now is the right time to build.“Our nation and the state are very limited on available inventory of warehouse, logistics and manufacturing space that is quick to market,” said Turnham. “It’s hard to find lease space of this magnitude anywhere in the corridor. Some experts say America is one billion square feet short of viable inventory of space. By having partners like Farpoint and Opportunity Alabama, we are able to offer ready-space in a hungry market and win projects for our community.”
The structure is being erected to attract new tenants to the project.“The REAL Park and this first building are located at Exit 42 on I-85 in the growth area of the corridor,” said Turnham. “Having available, Class-A industrial space ready for occupancy puts Macon County and its partners in a unique and favorable position to win projects that need to be in the corridor right away. Speed to market is essential in today’s environment.”Turnham noted the spec building sets the tone and quality for the type of development REAL Park will become. Building 2 and 3 are expected to emerge quickly once the first building is finished.
(All photos courtesy of Evergreen Siteworks except where noted.)
Doster senior project manager Erik Oxford noted that tilt-up construction requires significant organization and collaboration on the building site.
Equipment on the job includes excavators, bulldozers, rock trucks, a 250-ton crawler crane, manlifts and all-terrain forklifts. Main materials include concrete, steel, roof insulation and TPO roof.
The park is brokered by Cushman-Wakefield and is being built by Doster Construction of Birmingham.
REAL from page 1
According to Philip Williams, CCIM, Farpoint’s director of development, “The site is very conducive to Class-A industrial development, and from that standpoint, it is easily developed. The biggest challenges on this project are the same other developers face with increased construction costs, a tight labor market and materials availability, which we have mitigated to a large degree.
A total of 24,707 cu. yds. of fill material will be moved during construction, along with 24,215 cu. yds. of topsoil.
Major milestones for the project will include the final slab pour, erection of tilt walls, erection of structural steel and completion of the roof.
Construction crews in Tuskegee, Ala., are working on the first phase of a master-planned industrial park that’s been years in the making.
CEG
There has been no roadwork to date; however, crews will install a site road, as well as a southbound right-hand turn lane on HWY 186 into the park.
The effort is primarily a private development with participation from Opportunity Alabama and its new investment fund. The local public communities and utilities are providing secondary funding of utilities and infrastructure.
Doster senior project manager Erik Oxford noted that tiltup construction requires significant organization and collaboration on the building site.
Turnham also is pleased with the expected economic impact.“The park at full development portends to create over 1,000 new jobs, and up to $500 million or more in new investments. Furthermore, the new tax revenues and payrolls will allow Tuskegee-Macon County to invest in infrastructure, education and workforce development, as well as attract new retail and housing for a new generation.”
Doster Construction photo
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Page 12 • September 21, 2022 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
