Robert Bentley, the Governor of Alabama, has approved 302 road and bridge projects, valued at a total of $397.78m, under the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP).

Bentley said that the government is improving public safety by replacing old bridges and repairing and widening outdated roads.

The ATRIP initiative was launched in March 2012, and since then, a total of 439 road and bridge schemes worth $613m have been announced.

The major projects include an $18.7m scheme in Tuscaloosa to extend Fifth Avenue to Hackberry Lane at the University of Alabama college grounds, and a $16.6m investment in Foley to widen Pride Drive from Alabama Highway 59 to County Road 20.

"The government is improving public safety by replacing old bridges and repairing and widening outdated roads."

Other major projects include $7m to upgrade the interchange at Blake Bottom Road and Research Park Boulevard and $3.6m to extend Winchester Road in Madison County.

In Baldwin County, projects worth $21.5m were approved, which include additional turn lanes and signals at US-98 and County Road 65, intersection upgrades at CR-64 and CR-13, resurfacing CR-20 from SR-59 to S. Hickory Street, the extension of Wilters from CR-83 to SR-59 in Robertsdale, and the extension of Pride Drive from SR-59 to CR-20 in Foley.

The projects require local matching funds of 20%, financed by either the local government or through a local public-private partnership, while the remaining 80% is provided by GARVEE bonds.

To date, 61 of the 67 Alabama counties have received ATRIP funding for various road and bridge projects.