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By DONNAMY STEELE | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Alabama 119 in Alabaster will soon be getting a long-awaited upgrade. The highway expansion is only the beginning of what is to come in the future, City Administrator Brian Binzer said.

Binzer confirmed that the process to expand Highway 119 in Alabaster has already begun. The highway will eventually have four lanes and a middle turn lane.

“We’re expanding 119 to four lanes and a middle turn lane and so it’s now kind of in ALDOT’s hands,” Binzer said. “They are in the process of acquiring property and that kind of stuff right now.”

ALDOT needs to pick up 40 properties before construction and utilities can be implemented. They are currently short six properties from their goal, Binzer said, but the process is running smoothly thus far.

“They have commitments for about 34 of the properties and they’ve got about six they have to make offers to,” Binzer said. “Some of them have to go through the county condemnations because they didn’t come to terms with property owners. The hearing with the probate court will be in January.”

The process will extend over a few months, with much of the work beginning in the Spring. The expansion will start at the red light by the Walmart Neighborhood Market and will stop near County Road 12 (At the Smokey Road, Butler Road intersection).

This area will be the first of Highway 119 to be improved and a second phase of the project will be seen years from now, Binzer said.

“Once they get the right of way certified, the utilities side of it will begin. This includes placing water lines and pipelines,” Binzer said. “They’ve also been working on utilities, which will be finalized within the next month. They will start moving sometime in the Spring and work on the roadway in April. That’s phase one. In the long term it will go to Veteran’s Park and that will be phase two.”