West Alabama Highway (US-43 / SR-69 Corridor) — Thomasville to Moundville, Alabama

The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is advancing the West Alabama Highway project to construct a continuous four-lane divided highway through Alabama’s Black Belt region. When complete, the project will widen and realign approximately 74 miles of U.S. 43 and State Route 69 between Thomasville and Moundville, ultimately completing a 200-mile four-lane connection between Mobile and Tuscaloosa. The corridor improvements include 13 construction segments, three community bypasses, more than 20 new bridges, over 100 box culverts, roadway grading and paving, drainage infrastructure, major utility relocations, and safety enhancements.

ALDOT retained ICE Teams to provide independent cost estimating, construction scheduling, risk management, and constructability reviews under the Progressive Design-Build (PD-B) delivery method. As one of ALDOT’s first alternative delivery projects, ICE Teams has supported the department throughout project development by evaluating design-builder cost proposals, reviewing construction packages, and providing independent analysis across all 13 segments. ICE Teams has also collaborated closely with ALDOT to help maximize the benefits of progressive design-build, including early risk mitigation, improved cost certainty, and more efficient project delivery timelines.

ICE Teams delivered significant value through proactive cost and means-and-methods analysis. During equipment cost reviews, the team identified an opportunity for the contractor to utilize a buy/sell equipment strategy, resulting in approximately $35 million in projected savings to the overall project budget. ICE Teams also evaluated innovative construction approaches, including the potential use of a specialty roadway widening machine on Segment 5, with early estimates indicating an additional $5–10 million in potential savings compared to traditional construction methods.

Through independent expertise, collaborative engagement, and contractor-focused estimating insight, ICE Teams continues to help ALDOT advance this transformational infrastructure program with greater cost confidence and reduced project risk.