Neal Embry
Members of the Vestavia Hills City Council discuss a resolution opposing the proposed options of ALDOT’s Cahaba Beach Road project at a Dec. 10 meeting.
At their Dec. 10 meeting, the Vestavia Hills City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing option 5 and option 5-B of the Cahaba Beach Road project, proposed by the Alabama Department of Transportation.
The project, which would connect Cahaba Beach Road to Sicard Hollow Road by way of a bridge over the Little Cahaba River, has drawn public criticism over traffic and environmental concerns, both of which were echoed in the city’s resolution Monday night.
The council did not explicitly oppose other alternatives. Sarah Stokes, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said while the resolution is a good first step, the council should also oppose all other alternatives.
Beth Stewart, with the Cahaba Riverkeeper, said the project is the first the organization has opposed in 15 years, due to concerns about the project’s impact on the river, which is the source for much of Birmingham and the surrounding area's drinking water.
David Butler, the Cahaba Riverkeeper, said the forest in which the river sits was purchased by the Birmingham Water Works, in order to protect it. If the river is not kept safe, there’d be no reason to try to protect any land.
“These lands … were purchased with public money, and if we allow ALDOT to make a decision to use that land the way they see fit, it eliminates the incentive for people to protect this land,” Butler said.
After the meeting, Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry said the council still needs to see and review more information about the other alternatives before making a decision, but he expects the issue will come up again in the future.
The move follows a similar action taken by the City of Birmingham, which opposed the project outright at a recent council meeting.
Also at the meeting, City Manager Jeff Downes informed the council that the city is preparing to enter into an agreement with the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham to use an APPLE (Advanced Planning, Programming and Logical Engineering) Grant to address traffic concerns in 11 different places in the city.
The proposed study sites include portions of Dolly Ridge Road, Sicard Hollow Road and the intersection of U.S. 31 and Shades Crest Road, all with varying needs. A resolution on the matter will be brought up at a forthcoming council meeting.
The council also approved a bid to construct sidewalks on Green Valley Road, awarded to Triple J Construction for $125,000.
In other business, the council:
- Appointed April Jackson-MacLennan and Gregory Laughlin to the library board.
- Appointed Lyles Box to the parks and recreation board.
- Approved the replacement of a generator at the Vestavia Hills Fire Station Number 5 and the Cahaba Heights Police substation, for no more than $18,000. The old generator caught on fire recently.
