
Map courtesy of city of Vestavia Hills
A draft of the city of Vestavia Hills' master sidewalk plan as of Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, showing existing sidewalks, potential sidewalk and greenway areas and priority areas.
The Vestavia Hills City Council was not able to meet Monday night due to one member being out of town and others being sick, so consideration of the city’s new master sidewalk plan will have to wait until Feb. 10, officials said.
The council was scheduled to vote on the new master sidewalk plan Monday night.
The new plan is very similar to the city’s previous sidewalk plan, but there were a change or two or made due to public input while the plan was being reviewed in recent months, City Manager Jeff Downes said.
One of those was adding a small section of Dolly Ridge Road on the east side of U.S. 280 as a priority area for a sidewalk addition, Downes said.
Other priority areas are Massey Road, Shades Crest Road, various spots along Dolly Ridge Road closer to Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge and various areas in Cahaba Heights, including a strip along Greendale Road that would connect a large neighborhood to Crosshaven Drive.
However, even though areas are identified as priority areas doesn’t mean money is yet available for sidewalks there, Downes said. It just means those will be the areas that get higher consideration for sidewalks as funds become available for more additions, he said.
One exception is Massey Road, where a $4.6 million project to add a 4,100-foot-long, 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the road and to widen parts of the road already has begun. That project is expected to be completed by this summer, city officials said.
A draft of the new sidewalk plan being considered by the City Council is available for closer inspection on the city’s website in the packet for the Jan. 27 council meeting here.
It’s a map that shows existing pedestrian paths, proposed future pedestrian paths, proposed greenways and priority areas.
The primary areas marked as proposed greenways are along and near the Cahaba River in Liberty Park, Cahaba Heights and Altadena Valley Park. Most of the pathways at Altadena Valley Park are existing trails, but there are plans for upgrades and additional trails there.
The city’s Engineering Department has a process to analyze potential sites for sidewalks and other pathways to determine the feasibility, City Engineer Ethan Fisher said.
The next action meeting for the Vestavia Hills City Council is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. at Vestavia Hills City Hall.