By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Alabaster and Shelby County officials are working to finalize an agreement to match federal funding for upgrades to Thompson Road after the project recently received state funding.

The project was included on a recently released list of projects approved through the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program, which is funded through state GARVEE bonds.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley previously said GARVEE bonds give the state “access to future federal dollars to pay for road and projects that are needed immediately.”

According to the ATRIP list, the Thompson Road project is estimated to cost about $2.5 million, of which $2 million will be covered by ATRIP funds.

Alabaster and Shelby County are working on an agreement to fund the $500,000 in matching funds, said Alabaster City Administrator George Henry.

If the project is funded, it would add a new westbound turn lane on Thompson Road from Stadium Drive to Warrior Drive, replace the Thompson Road bridge over Buck Creek and add a sidewalk along Thompson Road from Warrior Drive to Stadium Drive.

The project would also add a right turn lane eastbound onto Warrior Drive from Thompson Road, resurface Thompson Road from Warrior Drive to Alabama 119 and would realign the Thompson Road entrance into Warrior Park.

Also included in the ATRIP project list was a project to resurface Shelby County 17 from Shelby County 22 to Shelby County 26, and a project to resurface Shelby County 26 from U.S. 31 in Saginaw to Alabama 70 in Columbiana. Funding matches for both resurfacing projects have been approved by the Shelby County Commission.