ALDOT presents revised plans for Oxmoor “turkey foot” intersection

With a new, reduced scope, the plans to redesign the “turkey foot” intersection of Oxmoor Road and Oxmoor Boulevard are expected to move forward this year.

The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) held a public involvement meeting to present the project on Tuesday, May 14. Homewood Building, Engineering and Zoning Department official Greg Cobb said the project has been in the works since 2004.

The turkey foot is a triangular intersection of Oxmoor Road, Oxmoor Boulevard and Scott Street, near Interstate 65, that has irregular traffic patterns. It has been a source of resident and City Council complaints for years. Cobb said part of the delay on the project was the cost for the original scope of work, which would have extended from Columbiana Road to Barber Court, and construction costs rising over time.

“The dollars have grown considerably since it’s so old,” Cobb said.

While ALDOT is facilitating the project, pre-construction engineer Blake Miller said it is led by Homewood. The costs will be shared in an 80-20 match between the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the city, with Homewood covering 20% of the funding.

The plans presented on May 14 reduced the project to the section of Oxmoor Road and Oxmoor Boulevard between Columbiana Road and Summit Parkway. Within that area, the turkey foot intersection will be redesigned, traffic lights will be reconfigured and sidewalks and crosswalks will be added. All of the roads will be repaved, as well, Miller said.

On Oxmoor Road, two traffic lights will be removed, at the intersection with Cobb Street and where drivers can either bear left onto the continuation of Oxmoor Road or right onto Oxmoor Boulevard.

Where Oxmoor Road becomes Oxmoor Boulevard, a power pole will be relocated next to Homewood Animal Hospital and the traffic island where it sat will be replaced with extra lanes, including a left turn lane onto Scott Street for westbound traffic.

Miller said Scott Street will now be the main route for traffic turning on and off of the section of Oxmoor Road that continues west, toward Patriot Park. The existing intersection between those roads will be redesigned so traffic will naturally curve onto Scott Street when traveling east on Oxmoor Road.

The section of Oxmoor Road between Scott Street and its intersection with Oxmoor Boulevard will mainly be used by the businesses located along that street. Part of it will be two lanes, but approximately in front of Hatfield Auto, 190 Oxmoor Road, it will become a one-way street for eastbound traffic to turn right onto the main part of Oxmoor Road, toward I-65.

Sidewalks will be added on both sides of Oxmoor Boulevard and Oxmoor Road from Summit Parkway to Columbiana Road, along with new crosswalks, according to the designs at the public involvement meeting.

Miller said the project will likely start right-of-way acquisition from neighboring properties later this year, and construction is currently expected to start in 2021.

The most recent estimates put construction costs for the project at around $4.5 million, though that is subject to change if the designs are revised and does not include cost of engineering or right-of-way acquisition.

Another ALDOT project in Homewood, the diverging diamond interchange at Lakeshore Parkway, is on hold for the time being, according to ALDOT officials. The project includes new exit ramps on I-65 and creates an interchange where lanes would cross to the opposite side of the road at the bridge over the interstate, creating an opportunity for drivers to veer left onto the interstate without stopping. The diverging diamond would include traffic light synchronization for faster traffic flow.

The diverging diamond was once higher on ALDOT’s priority list than the turkey foot project, with bid dates planned in 2018, but those did not occur. Steve Haynes from ALDOT said the project is delayed in order to find funding, as it is estimated to cost around $13 million. The diverging diamond would be a joint project between ALDOT, Homewood and the MPO.