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A look ahead at 2017: Infrastructure projects

by

Emily Featherston

In the city’s first use of the new Vestavia Hills Listens public comment platform, there was one topic clearly on the minds of residents: traffic and infrastructure.

In the 122 responses, there were nearly 100 references to traffic, sidewalks and other infrastructure issues in the list of items residents said the city council should consider in the coming four years.

The most common concerns were about Sicard Hollow Road and Crosshaven Drive, two heavily-traveled thoroughfares where residents have concerns about safety and road conditions.

Sicard Hollow

City Manager Jeff Downes said progress on the Sicard Hollow Road project is moving forward and will really pick up steam in the early part of the year.

The major concern, he said, is that engineers found during 2015-2016 traffic studies that major parts of the earth beneath Sicard Hollow need to be shored-up. If the foundation work isn’t done, he said the road conditions would quickly deteriorate.

“Sometimes we have to address the symptoms of the road issues as well as just putting a fresh coat of asphalt on the area,” he said.

Crews will likely have to dig into the ground underneath to stabilize the road’s supports.

Downes said this will likely require significant closures and detours, as well as metal-grate coverings. He said the city recognizes this will be a significant inconvenience, and they are working to make things as smooth as possible.

Bidding for the project opened in early December and is projected to begin early this year, depending on the county’s schedule.

Crosshaven

Like Sicard Hollow, Crosshaven Drive was a major concern to survey respondents, and it came up frequently at city council meetings regarding development in Cahaba Heights.

Residents along Crosshaven and on side streets raised concerns over the high number of drivers using Crosshaven to access The Summit and Mountain Brook, as well as those cutting through neighborhoods to avoid U.S. 280.

But like many “cut through” roads, a major issue with improving Crosshaven has been the city’s limited jurisdiction.

Whenever the question of widening parts of Crosshaven, particularly at certain intersections, has come up, the city has had the issue of dealing with Jefferson County.

Downes referred to the jurisdiction of Crosshaven as “nebulous,” because though in the past it has been considered a county through-road, in recent years the city and county have not come to an agreement as to whose responsibility it is to maintain it.

He said, however, that there may be a change coming soon.

In late November, the city was “pre-approved” to begin applying for an APPLE grant, or an Advanced Planning, Programming and Local Engineering program that helps municipalities complete project feasibility studies.

The program and resulting study would help determine the difficulty and cost of widening sections of Crosshaven, adding turn lanes and other changes to improve traffic flow.

If the city ends up being the responsible party, Downes said the city would be responsible for 20 percent of the study, with the APPLE grant covering the rest.

If the council were to approve funding for the city’s share, up to $12,000, Downes said the study would take between 90 and 120 days. At its conclusion, the study would report on feasibility and cost, and it also would suggest viable funding outlets.

Downes said those outlets could come from a variety of sources, from federal funding, county funding or a mixture of jurisdiction funding.

While Downes expressed to the council that he wanted to be clear the study would not immediately fix the issues residents are having, he said it would show the city what the options are.

Residential Paving

In the fall, the City Council voted to contract with Dunn Construction to resurface nearly 30 miles of residential roads by 2019.

The total project will cost between $4 million and $5 million to complete, so Downes said the entire process will have to happen in stages over the next three years.

In December, work began in the Cahaba Heights area, starting with Blue Lake Drive and moving through to various roads in poor condition.

As work continues, Downes recommended residents check the city’s project page at vhal.org/community/calendarsnews/projects and follow the city’s social media accounts to stay updated on what streets are scheduled for upcoming resurfacing.

Pedestrian Bridge

As one of its final acts, the 2012-2016 council voted to approve $190,000 to fund the construction of a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 31, connecting Wald Park and the Library in the Forest.

The total project is expected to cost between $1.2 million and $1.4 million, with the original federal earmark covering $700,000 of that cost.

Courtesy of City of Vestavia Hills

The council’s action was contingent on additional funding and grants coming through to cover the remaining cost to cover the city’s portion of the project.

Downes said pending final confirmation of those funding sources, the project is expected to go to bid in the first few months of 2017.

“With the consideration of ALDOT being the main driver of that,” he said, adding the caveat that the city has little control over the timetable.

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