MADISON — Nowhere in Madison is the growth more prominent than along the western corridor of the city at County Line Road.

“County Line Road was the first road in which Madison was able to get ahead of the growth,” said Mayor Paul Finley. “Everything else, we have just been playing catch-up or retrofitting in a way that changes traffic problems. The process eases in economic development to meet the challenges of rapid growth. Again – managing the growth.”

Going back to 2011, Finley said they knew County Line was where the growth was happening. He worked with Huntsville, Madison County and then-Gov. Robert Bentley to receive its first ATRIP-II award to get County Line Road funding.

ATRIP-II is an Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program-II award provides grants to rehabilitate and improve transportation infrastructure projects.

That award covered the rehabilitation of five-laning County Line Road all the way from the south, near the airport entrance, to north through Madison.

“When we put the walking path on it and completed it in 2014, look at the growth,” said Finley. “And it has happened organically with restaurants, retail like Daisy Lane Gifts, and business support like Devaney Brothers Farms.

“Now you are starting to see some doctors’ offices and assisted-living facilities like the new Madison Crossings at James Clemons High School, because it was set up for success.

“Compare that to other developments off Hughes Road, Wall Triana, and even off of Zierdt Road where they built a road, but they didn’t leave any room for expansion.

“County Line Road shows that if you build a road correctly, they will come, and they have, and they will continue to do so. It’s amazing.”

Assisted care facilities, such as Madison Crossings, are part of the growth along County Line Road.

He said County Line does represent growth in unincorporated Limestone County, but he credits the foresight to the days when retired Col. John Hamilton was the garrison commander on Redstone Arsenal between 2010 and 2013.

“County Line Road really came from was an understanding about what we were missing from traffic coming from the west and northwest to Redstone Arsenal and from Cummings Research Park,” said Finley. “Hamilton did his homework and said, ‘this is where all our traffic fits.’ One of the missing components was a north to south route on the western perimeter of Madison, so we used that data to go to the state when they were doing ATRIP-II, and said, this is supporting Redstone Arsenal, but it’s also getting ahead of the game on County Line.”

With support from Huntsville, the city got the money.

“That is how it came about – listening and supporting Redstone Arsenal while also looking at where our primary growth was going to happen, and that was going to happen along County Line and west of County Line,” said Finley. “It had a lot of support from Huntsville and it was the first project (Huntsville) Mayor (Tommy) Battle and I landed, along with Old Madison Pike and Zierdt Road, as far back as 2009.

“That is how long it has taken to get to that point.”

County Line Road was finished around 2015 when I-565 was completed, and Finley said when they got the ATRIP-II funding, it started at County Line and went through to I-565, but it left a problem between it and Wall Triana that needs to be fixed.

“When we do that, it’s going to include looking at the airport intersection to see how we might make that better,” Finley said. “They are looking at all alternatives to find a solution to an eventual bottleneck at the airport.”

Dirt is moving all up and down County Line Road today.

In addition to sprawling new subdivisions, you will find new businesses of all types rising the area’s famous red dirt.

Across from the Waterford subdivision between the new O’Reilly Auto Parts and Dunkin’ Donuts, a 10,000 square-foot medical office building is being developed by AAA Holdings.

The Animal Health Care Center north of Palmer Park near the Somerset at Madison is expanding, and two dental offices are planned.

North of Madison at the Range, an Alabama Credit Union is under construction at the corner of New Bristol Lane. And, north of that, a 17,000 square-foot multi-tenant commercial building has been approved for construction and a self-storage business will soon open.

Indeed – Madison built it and now they are coming.