‘Deadly’ Highway 53 in Harvest gets safety upgrades

HARVEST, Ala. ( WHNT ) — A stretch of highway in Madison County that has been referred to as “deadly” is becoming a little safer.

Several main intersections along Highway 53 are getting safety upgrades as part of a road improvement project in the Harvest area. The upgrades are coming to Harvest Road, Old Railroad Bed Road and McKee Road where they intersect Highway 53.

District 4 County Commissioner Phil Vandiver is excited for the project to begin. In particular, he is excited for the new turn lane at Highway 53 and Harvest Road.

“Safety wise, we think that’s just another step in making that intersection even more safe,” Vandiver said. “This has been a big headache, especially at Harvest Road and Old Railroad Bed Road where traffic just backs up waiting for cars to get a left hand turn.”

The road work has caused headaches for some drivers as expected. News 19 has seen traffic control measures that limit traffic to a one-way near one of the intersections. This has caused backups that delay drivers by several minutes.

Vandiver told News 19 that he understands the construction process can be frustrating. He hopes drivers are cautious when driving through the work zone.

“I wish we could snap our fingers and get it done, but there’s a process,” Vandiver said. “If everybody can just work with us a little while, we’ll do it as fast and as safe as we can and get those guys back home and get the roads improved a little bit.”

Vandiver said he expects the project to wrap up by November.

Both Madison County and the Alabama Department of Transportation are footing the bill. The estimated cost of the project is $4.6 million.

Other road improvement projects are also in the works for the area. Vandiver told News 19 that he is still anticipating the start to an even larger road widening project on Highway 53 between Harvest Road and Taurus Drive.

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