Mobile County Receives Statewide Quality Pavement Award for Tanner Williams Road Widening Project
Posted on: Dec 22nd, 2025 | AnnouncementsFeatured NewsPress Releases
MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. — Mobile County has received a Quality Pavement Award in the Reconstruction category from the Alabama Asphalt Paving Association (AAPA) for the design and construction administration of the Tanner Williams Road widening project.
AAPA’s Quality Pavement Awards recognize projects that demonstrate excellence in asphalt pavement construction, including smoothness, durability, workmanship, and overall performance.
AAPA accepts nominations from contractors and three ALDOT officials (the State Construction Engineer, State Maintenance Engineer, and the State Materials and Tests Engineer), visit every nominee and grade the projects on rideability and quality of construction to select the winners. Only 20 2025 awards were given in various categories. According to AAPA, award recipients are the best of the best road and bridge projects in the state.
The award was presented Dec. 12 by AAPA, a statewide trade association
representing Alabama’s asphalt paving industry and promoting best practices in pavement design, construction, and performance. Commissioners recognized the Engineering leadership team for this achievement at the Dec. 22 Mobile County Commission meeting.
The award recognizes the successful widening and reconstruction of Tanner Williams Road from Zeigler Boulevard, near Faith Academy, to Snow Road. The project widened the existing two-lane roadway to five lanes to accommodate increased traffic demand and improve safety. It included the replacement of an existing two-lane bridge culvert with a five-lane bridge and pedestrian walkway, addition of a center turn lane, construction of a sidewalk, upgraded traffic signals, intersection lighting at the signalized intersections, and an improved closed drainage system. The project is approximately 2 miles long and was funded by Mobile County’s 2012 Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) Transportation Improvement Program, Mobile County’s Capital Improvement Program, the Alabama Department of Transportation Public Road and Bridge Fund, and Rebuild Alabama.
The project was particularly complex due to high traffic volumes, extensive utility coordination, drainage improvements, right-of-way considerations, and the need to maintain access for residents, schools, and businesses throughout construction.
The project is in its final stages of completion before acceptance into Mobile County’s road inventory. The Tanner Williams Road widening/reconstruction project is under the leadership of County Engineer Kim Sanderson and Construction Engineering Manager Johnny Harper. Frank Turner Construction served as the contractor, Volkert provided design and construction engineering/inspection services, and Southern Earth Sciences provided geotechnical engineering services.
"We take pride in the work of our engineering team and partners. Receiving an AAPA quality award for a project of this size and complexity confirms that Mobile County is setting a high standard in road construction, said Commission President Merceria Ludgood.
Mobile County’s PAYG program has been approved by voters each of the 20 times it has appeared on a ballot since 1977, dedicating more than $1 billion to road and bridge projects with no new taxes and no new debt.
