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COMING UP IN YOUR FULL FORECAST. WELL, LOTS OF FOLKS KNOW THIS ROUGH RIDE RIGHT HERE. I-59 20 BETWEEN DEAD MAN’S CURVE AND HIGHWAY 31 EXIT WAS STRIPPED OF ITS ASPHALT IN OCTOBER. IT’S STILL UNPAVED. �������� 13 S SCOTT CARPENTER SHARES. WHEN THIS BUMPY RIDE WILL BE SMOOTH SAILING AGAIN, IT’S NOISY, BUMPY, UNEVEN. WORK BEGAN ON 5920. IN OCTOBER. CREWS STRIPPED THE ASPHALT FROM DEAD MAN’S CURVE TO JUST SHY OF THE DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM EXIT. TODAY, EIGHT MONTHS LATER, IT’S STILL UNPAVED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. I’VE BEEN ON IT A COUPLE OF TIMES. I DON’T LIKE IT. I TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM IT. ELAINE CASAS ISN’T ALONE. ABOUT 150,000 CARS TRAVEL THIS ROAD EVERY DAY, AND SOME FOLKS ARE LOSING THEIR PATIENCE. IT’S EATING THEM. TIRES UP, AND IF WE TRY TO AVOID IT, GO AROUND. BUT YOU CAN’T. AND DRIVING ON A ROAD LIKE THAT CAN CAUSE WEAR AND TEAR ON YOUR TIRES. AND THE CAR ITSELF. SO ANYTIME YOU’RE ON AN UNPAVED ROAD, THE AGGREGATES, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT MAYBE MIXTURES OR HEIGHTS OR ROUGH OR WHATEVER, THAT’S AN ABNORMAL WEAR ON YOUR TIRE. EATING THAT RUBBER FASTER THAN A SMOOTH ROAD WOULD. GABE FIKES OWNS ELITE TIRE AND SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM. EDUCATED GUESTS FROM 25 YEARS. IN EXPERIENCE, I’D SAY IT WOULD EAT THE TIRE PROBABLY 20 TO 25% FASTER, MEANING YOU’LL HAVE TO SHELL OUT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FASTER, TOO. AND TIRES AREN’T THE ONLY THING AT RISK. THAT UNEVENNESS, THAT ROUGH, ROUGH RIDE IT WEARS OUT OUR OUR SHOCKS, OUR STRUTS, THE SUSPENSION OF THE CAR. YOU COULD EASILY DO THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE TO YOUR CAR SUSPENSION WISE. TODD CONNELL, WHO OVERSEES THE BIRMINGHAM AREA FOR THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SAYS CREWS HAVE BEEN SEALING BRIDGES AND REPLACING CONCRETE SLABS SINCE THEY STRIPPED THE ASPHALT. THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF WORK THAT THAT WENT ON DURING THAT PERIOD, FROM OCTOBER UNTIL NOW MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE THAT EVIDENT, BUT YEAH, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF WORK IN JANUARY, ALDOT TOLD US 5920 WOULD BE COVERED WITH ASPHALT BY APRIL, WEATHER PERMITTING. CONNELL SAYS A RAINY SEASON HAS SLOWED PROGRESS, BUT CREWS PLAN TO START LAYING ASPHALT SOMETIME THIS COMING WEEK. HE SAYS THE PROJECT WILL WRAP UP IN JULY. THE REPAVING WAS AT THE ORIGINAL DESIGN TO TAKE THAT LONG, OR WAS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS UNCOVERED MORE ISSUES WHEN YOU TOOK THE ASPHALT OFF? NO, THIS IS ABOUT ABOUT WHAT WAS EXPECTED. AND FOR THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DRIVE THAT ROAD EVERY DAY, JULY CAN’T COME SOON ENOUGH. GET ON THE BALL. GET IT DONE. THEY GOT PLENTY OF TAX MONEY BECAUSE WE SEND IT IN. IN BIRMINGHAM, SCOTT CARPENTER, �������� 13. THE PAVING WILL HAPPEN DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. IT’S UNCLEAR WHEN THAT WORK BEGINS EXACTLY, BUT THERE WIL