Final Touches: Work Begins To Wrap Up Resurfacing Project On Hwy 97

January 4, 2011

Contractors are almost finished with a $5.7 million project to resurface 22 miles of Highway 97 from Highway 95 in Molino to the Alabama state line. The project, which began in April, 2010, also included constructing new guardrails and making minor drainage improvements. Monday, a final coat of reflective striping was being added to the highway markings.

Pictured: A final coat of reflective paint is added to a white line on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “Final Touches: Work Begins To Wrap Up Resurfacing Project On Hwy 97”

  1. David Huie Green on January 6th, 2011 12:42 pm

    I haven’t noticed any vibration as I drive it several times per day but did notice reflecters near the center line. It strikes me as a good idea to let drivers know if they are drifting across the center into oncoming traffic. Then the ones on the sides let you know you’re about to leave pavement. Good design.

    David appreciating civil engneers

  2. dnl on January 6th, 2011 9:57 am

    Response to:

    ‘what’d you do? drift out of your lane?’

    No. We were in our lane the whole time and I’m not sure if there are any rumble strips to the right of the white line, I quess that is what you are referring to.

    In fact, I traveled on 97 from Molino to Atmore yesteday. The north bound lane seems fine, but the south bound lane from Hwy 4 to Ernest Ward school is where we noticed the vibration before in my sons car and I noticed it yesterday in my truck as well. It was more noticeable in his, but my truck has seen more miles than his car and it doesn’t ride as smooth as it once did.

  3. David Huie Green on January 5th, 2011 5:27 pm

    what’d you do? drift out of your lane?

  4. dnl on January 5th, 2011 9:24 am

    @

    “Well I can’t see how anyone can complain about the job thses guys have done on this highway. Best I have seen it look in 25 years.”

    It may ‘Look’ good but I’m with others on the ride on it. I was riding with my son around the Davisville area and I thought that there was something wrong with his tires because of the vibration coming from the road.

  5. Walnut Hill Resident on January 4th, 2011 10:13 pm

    Well I can’t see how anyone can complain about the job thses guys have done on this highway. Best I have seen it look in 25 years. Sharon I don’t know how much you know about asphalt work maybe, you drove one of those big machines that puts it down I don’t know. What I do know is that the road is in good shape again for motorcycles to ride on. It use to beat me to death now it is a smooth ride all the way. As for as the speed bump comment there flgirl I suggest that they put a few more in for these people that have the lead foot syndrome. People drive crazy on this highway to start with. They think it is a speedway through here. Just like the comment about the slope of the road would have prevented a wreck that happened not to long ago in the rain also. I have driven that highway a few times in the last 30 years or so and some of those times at higher speeds than I should have. I have driven it in pouring rain at 55 MPH and never once have I slipped off the road. I don’t think the slope of the road had anything to do with that wreck myself. It was mostly speed to get somewhere in a hurry that they wanted to be. Maybe McDonalds or Pizza Hut and they just couldn’t sloe down enough in the rain to make the curves. Now they may have been riding on bald tires also. Don’t know about that either. I think the road is great and I for one am going to enjoy it. Just my way of thinking I think.

  6. Watchful on January 4th, 2011 4:41 pm

    Sharon, I absolutely agree. I have seen that highway resurfaced quite a few times in my 60 years, and this, by far, is the worst.

  7. flgirl on January 4th, 2011 10:15 am

    Built-in speed bumps… How can they get by with such a sorry job?!

  8. Sharon on January 4th, 2011 9:25 am

    This is the poorest asphalting job I have ever seen on a state road. The road between the FL/AL state line and Walnut Hill is us completely unacceptable in my humble opinion.

  9. Walnut Hill Roy on January 4th, 2011 8:05 am

    The contractor appears to have done a good job, but the traffic tie ups are getting very old at this point; it seems like with the bridge out on 99 I can’t ever go from Walnut Hill to Atmore and back in less than an hour. Yesterday I ended up behind this paint truck which was doing 4 mph with a pickup truck behind it blocking traffic. I wish that they would just do whatever they have to do to finish the job and leave at this point.