This story concludes an eight-part series highlighting the people and work of ALDOT’s West Central Region districts.
There’s pressure managing a district that’s home to the fifth-largest city in the state and busiest within the Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT) West Central Region.
There’s pressure when the district includes Mercedes-Benz U.S. International and the University of Alabama, which enrolls more than 40,000 students.
There’s pressure when the city of Tuscaloosa has grown by almost 15 percent and Northport by nearly 21 percent since 2020, pushing Tuscaloosa County’s population to 241,000. More traffic, more development and more demands are placed on every mile of roadway.
The Tuscaloosa District knows about pressure.
“Most days we have enough personnel to tend to about half of our planned maintenance operations,” said Brett Paulk, Tuscaloosa District Administrator. “Then, we respond to calls and complaints that generate on a regular basis.”
Paulk has been with ALDOT for more than 15 years, including the last 18 months overseeing the district. When fully staffed, he oversees 28 roadway workers, 16 rest area attendants, nine administrative staff and 16 construction personnel, aided significantly by the construction office.
Traffic volumes and the university schedule dictate much of the work, often requiring crews to work at non-peak hours to limit traffic disruptions.
“Tuscaloosa is unique in many ways, but the most is probably related to traffic volumes and student population,” Paulk said. “Most of our work is dictated by traffic volumes and doesn’t always allow the most opportune work hours for production.”
Some tasks never end. Mowing, debris removal and litter pickup are constant.
“The amount of money we spend on litter and debris pick up is shocking,” Paulk said, referencing the $9.4 million ALDOT spent statewide on litter removal.
However, there are other jobs that bring a sense of pride.
“I’m looking forward to building a new turn lane on US-43 next month,” Paulk said, referencing the left turn lane that will be installed at the intersection of Old Fayette Road. “That is one job that maintenance guys can do that immediately makes a difference and gives an actual sense of completion. Most maintenance jobs never end. If you get to build something that serves a purpose, it creates that sense of accomplishment that is rare in the maintenance world.”
Work doesn’t slow down when the city doubles in size on fall Saturdays or when crews must stop maintenance to provide traffic control for a crash. It doesn’t stop when storms leave debris scattered across the roadway or when a truck loses its load. But, pressure is part of the job, and the Tuscaloosa District manages it every day.
