Sketch courtesy of city of Vestavia Hills
This is the design for the pedestrian bridge planned to be built over U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, connecting Wald Park to the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest.
The Alabama Department Of Transportation recently gave Vestavia Hills the go-ahead for the city’s project to build a pedestrian bridge across U.S. 31.
The state issued its notice to proceed on May 15, and pre-construction activities are well underway, Public Works Director Lori Beth Kearley told the Vestavia Hills City Council during its meeting Monday night.
Pre-construction activities include utility coordination, approval of requests for information from suppliers and the procurement of the bridge itself.
“The contractor anticipates mobilization in late summer, so you should start to see some activity in that time frame,” Kearley said.
The first construction activity will be the relocation of the water main along U.S. 31, and the project is scheduled for 250 working days, or about 12 months, Kearley said.
“We’re very pleased with the progress on this, and hopefully we’ll see some activity very soon,” she said.
Map courtesy of city of Vestavia Hills
This map shows the location of the pedestrian bridge planned to be built over U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, connecting Wald Park to the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest.
The pedestrian bridge has been one of the Vestavia Hills City Council’s most anticipated projects for close to 20 years. Following Kearley’s update, several City Council members joked light-heartedly about the project, including George Pierce, who said, “I’ll believe it when I’m walking across that thing.”
The 143-foot-long pedestrian bridge will cross over U.S. 31, connecting Wald Park to the Library in the Forest, and will feature an elevator and stairs. The project will also include about 300 feet of reconstructed sidewalks, an additional 280 feet of new sidewalk, and stairs to the library.
Kearley also updated the City Council on several additional projects, including the roundabout under construction at the intersection of Blue Lake Drive and Sicard Hollow Road. Currently, Kearley said the project is in the utility relocation phase with only the telecommunications line waiting to be moved.
“We anticipate that being complete within the next couple of weeks,” Kearley said. “In talking with the contractor, they anticipate remobilization in that timeframe.”
The roundabout construction is a three-way project between Vestavia Hills, Birmingham and Jefferson County, with the county leading the project. Kearley said the Vestavia Hills city engineers believe the project will be completed by the original time frame of early 2025.
Assistant City Manager Cinnamon McCulley also had the opportunity to highlight a pair of projects, including a new chatbot on the city’s website — vhal.org — and a $10,000 Advance Birmingham grant. McCulley said the grant funds are earmarked to produce maps which will be placed at all Vestavia Hills parks with QR codes directing visitors to local businesses while in Vestavia Hills for sports tournaments or other special activities.
“When the visitors scan the QR code, it will take them straight to a map,” McCulley. “You can click on any of those entries, and it will give you directions to a place to eat or somewhere to go get a massage because your son is pitching and it stresses you out.”
The chatbot is now accessible on the city’s website and connects to Vestavia Hills Connect or by texting 855-322-8446. Users can ask questions or report issues such as potholes or other problems in any language and receive a response in that language.
The City Council also approved a last-minute request to nominate Katherine Manush, a Realtor with RealtySouth, as a potential board member to the Jefferson County Board of Equalization. Vestavia Hill Mayor Ashley Curry said the Board of Equalization made the request earlier on Monday and needed a nominee by the end of the day.
“It was very short notice. We couldn’t advertise it. Then they gave us this real short deadline to nominate somebody, with no guarantee or even encouragement that they’ll get appointed,” Curry said. “So, I thank Katherine for even considering it, and we’ll see what takes place.”
In other news:
The City Council approved a measure giving the Liberty Park Joint Venture 3.8 acres of land to accommodate a T-Mobile cell tower. The measure corrects a small error as part of a larger land swap between Vestavia Hills and the Liberty Park Joint Venture in November 2023.
The City Council also presented a certificate of appreciation to Jaclyn Hudson, who just completed her five-year term on the Vestavia Hills Board of Education. “I would just like to say that in your tenure, you’ve had some incredible challenges,” Councilwoman Kimberly Cook said. “Thank you for your perseverance, your grace under pressure, and there has been pressure. I just really appreciate your professionalism.”
Cook also highlighted a Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority microtransit pilot initiative. The pilot will be of no cost to the city and will provide low-cost transit for Vestavia Hills citizens to locations throughout the Birmingham area.
