Construction of new Church Street between Pratt and Oakwood avenues moving toward reality

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - City officials hope that building a new Church Street from Monroe Street to Oakwood Avenue will open the area for redevelopment and will offer another convenient route from north Huntsville to downtown.

A major step in those plans took place on Friday in Montgomery when the Alabama Department of Transportation opened bids to build the phase between Pratt and Oakwood avenues.

APAC Mid-South Inc. of Birmingham submitted an apparent low bid of nearly $3.2 million to build the new five-lane street.

It could be several months before work actually begins. The state must verify that APAC's bid meets specifications and draw up a contract for both sides to sign. The contractor also needs time to prepare for the project.

Once started, construction is expected to take more than a year.

The new Church Street between Pratt and Oakwood avenues will follow Orchard Street from Pratt to Pearl Avenue and then shift west and follow Hundley Drive to Oakwood.

The city two years ago bought 40 houses and businesses on Oakwood, Hundley and Orchard and either demolished the buildings or sold them with the requirement that the buyers move them.

The other Church Street phase will be a combination of moving or widening the existing street between Monroe and Pratt. It will include removing a severe curve on Pratt just east of Church, building a new Wheeler Avenue from the new Church to Memorial Parkway and removing Pegram Street. The city's Municipal Justice and Public Safety Center and the Madison County Sheriff's Department offices are both on Wheeler.

A firm construction date for the Monroe to Pratt phase has not been set.

Other DOT bids

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Construction of new Church Street between Pratt and Oakwood avenues moving toward reality