Though the approach of the warm-weather paving season is still distant in Cullman County, officials already are weighing the maintenance needs of local roads against available funds to repair or resurface them.

At its January regular meeting, the Cullman County Commission agreed to pursue the resurfacing of County Road 719 — known to longtime locals as the “chicken plant” road for its access to the Golden Rod Broilers facility at its end — as a key part of the upcoming summer’s paving schedule. Intersecting with U.S. Highway 278 at the point where Alabama Highway 157 ends, the road would receive a full resurfacing along its 2.5-mile length, according to Cullman County Economic Development director Matt Kinsland.

Commissioners hope to fund a portion of the project through state grant money from the Rebuild Alabama program, which allots to each county an annual allocation of the overall program’s revenues generated through Alabama’s fuel tax. “It’s a $350,000 grant, with a total project cost of approximately $902,000,” Kinsland told commissioners. “It does require a [local] match, and the county’s portion would be approximately $502,000.”

Separately, the commission also approved the County Rebuild Alabama Annual Report for the 2024 fiscal year, reviewing local paving projects — funded partially or in whole through Rebuild Alabama — whose financial obligations ended in 2024. According to county engineer Philip Widner, eight local Rebuild Alabama projects were closed out during the 2024 fiscal year, including six whose work had begun in 2022 or 2023.

Below is a listing of each paving project named in the county’s CRARR report, each of which has been completed. Beside each entry is the amount of funding the specified project received through the Rebuild Alabama program:

Projects begun in 2022

County Road 702 ($6,180)
County Road 222 ($13,087)
County Road 715 ($2,700)

Projects begun in 2023

County Road 1807 ($44,600)
County Road 813 ($81,336)

Projects begun in 2024

County Road 783 ($440,567)
County Road 1224 ($337,535)
County Road 1670 ($314,764)

Additionally, repair work on a bridge along County Road 1763, which was damaged during a heavy rain event in the fall of 2021, has not yet been completed. Though none of the project’s Rebuild Alabama funding has yet been spent, Widner said the project should be finished this year after the current winter weather period has ended.

Benjamin Bullard may be reached by email at ben.bullard@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.