One of the constant challenges District 45 crews must tackle develops below Talladega County’s roads.
“One thing that we have to deal with a lot around here is sinkholes, and, you know, a lot of counties don’t have that. Talladega in particular, a lot of limestone and everything,” ALDOT District 45 Administrator Stephen Blair said.
Back in 2014, Blair’s team had to close lanes to excavate and fill a massive sinkhole underneath SR-21.
“So, you took a 4-lane highway and completely dug it out. I think that deepest point was 100 feet. Oh, and refilled that with rip rap and concrete,” he said.
Blair came to work for the Alabama Department of Transportation in July 2004.
Over the next six years, he handled maintenance projects and right-of-way permit reviews out of ALDOT’s headquarters on Montgomery.
Then, in 2010, the Talladega County native became District Manager in what was then called District 5 in the community where he grew up.
Blair said he enjoys the administrative side of the job but still gets the bug to step in with his maintenance team in the field.
“I don’t mind being here, signing papers or dealing with people on the phone, but I’ll get out there and around the crews, and I’ll grab a shovel with them, and do whatever needs to be done,” Blair said.
He manages a group of 25 employees, half of which carry out maintenance duties.
Blair said it is those dedicated team members who inspire him to come to work every day.
“We’re a cohesive unit. We all know what the goal is, and we’re all working together to try to reach that goal,” Blair said.
While each team member is crucial to reaching that goal, Blair believes Senior Superintendent Larry Askew’s role stands out.
Described as the maintenance side’s backbone, Askew developed a wealth of experience during his 30-plus years with ALDOT.
“He’s not telling somebody to go do something that he doesn’t know how to do himself or can’t go out there and do it himself. So, kind of leading from that perspective and I think that’s critical,” Blair said.
Of course, when many people think of Talladega County, 100,000-plus NASCAR fans flocking to the Talladega Superspeedway come to mind.
Blair said it takes regional ALDOT cooperation to effectively handle that level of visiting traffic to one location twice a year.
“We do work ahead of time to get everything prepped, to make sure everything is in good shape. We provide personnel, but so do the surrounding Districts in the Area. So, it is a joint effort of pulling that off,” Blair said.
Moving forward, the career highway man plans to serve the motorists in his home county with his dependable team for years to come.
“Our goal was to keep the highways safe and in as good a shape as possible for the traveling public,” Blair said.
