County Commission | The Magazine January 2020 | Page 38

NEWS YOU CAN USE
Status Report: Rebuild Alabama
Counties demonstrate efficiency, transparency
C
ounties are keeping their word by
both doing the work and fulfilling
accountability requirements of the
Rebuild Alabama Act, signed by Gov.
Kay Ivey in March 2019.
“We have consistently said counties
will be efficient and transparent with
the new funds,” said ACCA Executive
Director Sonny Brasfield. “Throughout
the implementation phase, county
governments have worked collectively
so they can be responsible and
accountable with each and every dollar.”
The historic Rebuild Alabama Act
is the first increase in recurring funding
for roads and bridges in the state since
1992. Revenue comes primarily from a
phased-in, 10-cents-per-gallon tax on
gasoline and diesel fuel, with proceeds
benefitting State, county and city
infrastructure.
Implementation milestones achieved
during the latter half of 2019 include:
ATRIP-II Grants
The Act established the Alabama
Transportation Rehabilitation and
Improvement Program-II (ATRIP-II)
grant program to invest in projects
of local interest on the state highway
system. In October, Ivey and the
Alabama Department of Transportation
announced the first awards, totaling
$30.13 million. Eleven county projects,
valued at $11.5 million, were selected.
Choctaw County Commissioner Tony
Cherry, ACCA’s Immediate Past
President, serves on the ATRIP-II
Committee.
ARBA Fall Briefings
Leaders of the Association of
County Engineers of Alabama, ACCA’s
Rebuild Alabama Implementation Team
and ACCA staff traveled the state in
November to speak at five fall briefings
38 | JANUARY 2020
AlabamaCounties.org/RebuildAL
Engineers from Geneva, Morgan, Autauga, Chambers and
Elmore counties traveled the state, at the invitation of the
Alabama Road Builders Association, briefing contractors on
Rebuild Alabama and its implementation procedures.
for members of the Alabama Road
Builders Association.
County Transportation Plans
The Act requires each local
governing body to adopt an annual
transportation plan and make plans
available to the public so citizens can
easily see how the new revenue will
be used. All 67 County Transportation
Plans are available online at
AlabamaCounties.org/rebuildal.
County Bid Announcements
In another innovation brought
about by the act, all county bid
announcements for Rebuild Alabama
projects and materials can be found in
a single centralized online location —
AlabamaCounties.org/rebuildal.
Rebuild Alabama Signage
To further strengthen public
awareness of how new dollars are
used, custom Rebuild Alabama signs
were designed for each county so
that projects funded by the Act can
be clearly marked as such for the
traveling public.
In addition, work is ongoing by the
ACEA Technical Advisory Committee
and the Implementation Team to:
• Collaborate with the Alabama
Department of Transportation to
improve local road specifications,
coordinate resources and ensure
counties maximize available
funding opportunities.
• Refine the Rebuild Alabama bid
procedures and streamline the
bidding process for all road and
bridge projects.
• Provide counties with expanded bid
options in fiscal year 2021.
• Analyze County Transportation Plans
to develop further messaging about
Rebuild Alabama’s benefits. n