City lines up infrastructure projects for 2019, beyond
From simple paving projects to complete intersection overhauls, here are the construction projects on Homewood’s horizon in 2019.
Roadway redesigns
The plans for a new intersection design at Oxmoor Road and Oxmoor Boulevard’s “turkey foot” are moving forward this year, but don’t expect to see orange barrels in the area until around 2021.
The Alabama Department of Transportation presented new plans for the intersection, with a reduced scope, to the public on May 14.
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 frustration for years.
Chris Wade, who owns Nexus Fitness at 187 Oxmoor Road, said he has heard complaints about the intersection and the entry and exit of his property since opening in early 2018. He said “one of those [making complaints] is me.”
“It’s just an awkward left,” he said of turning in the area.
Building, Engineering and Zoning Department employee Greg Cobb said part of the delay on the project, which has been planned since 2004, 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.
While ALDOT is facilitating the project, the costs will be shared in an 80-20 match between the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the city.
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, pre-construction engineer Blake Miller said.
On Oxmoor Road, two traffic lights will be removed: at the intersection with Cobb Street and at the spot 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 shown at the public involvement meeting.
Wade said he talked with the City Council about the plans for Oxmoor Road before choosing to open his gym there, and he’s looking forward to the changes.
“I just hope that it brings more ease of access to West Homewood,” Wade said.
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.
Wade was dismayed by the timeline since this project has already been on hold for so long, but remarked “better late than never.”
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 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.
The city is also finalizing its plans for beautification and redesign on 18th Street Souththis year.
The plans for the road include realignment of lanes, paving and added parking, sidewalks and landscaping from 28th Avenue South to Rosedale Drive. The project also includes an added right turn lane at the Valley Avenue intersection.
Keith Strickland of Goodwyn Mills Cawood said the project has been redesigned so it will not require the permanent use of right-of-way from businesses along the street, though it will remove some driveways from 18th and move them onto side streets.
The 18th Street project will cost around $2 million, and Strickland said it will be put out for bid around the start of 2020.
Smooth ride
The city of Homewood will begin its 2019 paving after the July 4 holiday.
Public Services Director Berkley Squires said the paving list was determined with the help of Volkert Engineering, which was contracted in 2016 to grade all roads in the city and create a priority list for repairs based on the condition and level of needed repair.
The city has followed that list in paving since 2016, though work by utility companies has changed some of the priorities over time. Squires said the utility companies had to be consulted before creating the 2019 list to avoid freshly paving a road, only to have it cut open shortly after to access a power, wateror gas line.
The paving priorities for this year are:
► Lancaster Road (U.S. 31 to Roxbury Road)
► Roxbury Road (Mayfair Drive to Oxmoor Road)
► Mayfair Drive (Roxbury Road to Ridge Road)
► Ashley Circle (Ashley Road to end)
► Ashley Road (Old Montgomery Highway to Rhodes Drive)
► Rhodes Drive (Ashley Road to Lakeshore Drive)
► Ashwood Lane (Clermont Drive to 1691 Ashwood, and Valley Avenue to width change)
► Valley View Drive (Clermont Drive to Valley Avenue)
► Clermont Drive (Valley View Drive to Oxmoor Road — two projects)
► Dobbs Lane (Woodbine Drive to end — two projects)
► Shades Glen Circle (Shades Glen Drive to end)
► Shades Glen Drive (Delcris Drive to end — two projects)
► Shades Glen Drive loop
► Forest Ridge Drive (Shades Glen Drive to end)
► Brook Crest Circle (Shades Glen Drive to end)
► Sherbrooke Drive (Venetian Way to Oxmoor Lane)
► Venetian Circle (Sherbrooke Drive to end)
► Sherbrooke Circle (Sherbrooke Drive to end)
► Oxford Lane (Saxon Drive to end)
► Willow Bend Road (Sherbrooke Drive to Knoll Crest Drive)
► Manhattan Oxmoor alley (100-108 Hanover Road)
► Broadway Street (Dixon Avenue to Columbiana Road)
► Edgeknoll Drive (Oxmoor Road to end)
► Edgeknoll Lane (Oxmoor Road to Edgeknoll Drive)
► Cook Street (Oxmoor Road to end)
► Valley Place (East Linwood Drive to end)
► Oglesby Avenue (Carr Avenue to Dixon Avenue)
► Bellview Circle (Clermont Drive to end)
► 29th Oxmoor (19th Street South to 8th Street South)
► Grace Street (Gainswood Road to Evergreen Avenue)
► Gainswood Road (Irving Highland to Grace Street)
► Acton Avenue (Dixon Avenue to Carr Avenue)
► 16th Terrace (Woodfern Drive to 28th Avenue South)
► St. Charles Street (Oxmoor Road to end)
► Hillmoor Lane (Knoll Crest Drive to Oakmoor Drive)
► Devon Drive (Windsor Drive to Lakeshore Drive)
► Shadesmont Road (Forest Brook Circle to Forest Ridge Court)
Squires said work is expected to take 30 to 35 days to complete. The city budgeted $1 million for paving this fiscal year, which he said should cover all of the above projects.
Foot traffic
Lastly, pedestrian projects will also move forward this year.
The multi-year effort to acquire right-of-way access for the second phase of the Shades Creek Greenway — which would extend the greenway from Columbiana Road to Wildwood — was successfully completed on May 23, when the Jefferson County Commission agreed to sell the last needed parcel to Homewood for $31,000.
With those agreements in place, the city can move forward with getting a bid on the project and construction. Keith Strickland of Goodwyn Mills Cawood, which is working with the city on the greenway and the 18th Street projects, told the City Council’s planning and development committee on May 20 that Phase II of the greenway will be put out for bids in September, with construction likely starting at the first of the 2020 year.
Also on May 20, the City Council approved a study by Volkert Engineering on creating a greenway for walkers and cyclists between Central Avenue and Spring Park. A disconnected part of Central along Griffin Creek would be part of the path.
Ward 1 Councilor Andy Gwaltney said since 18th Street is getting redesigned, it will not have an opportunity for bike lanes. Central Avenue already has some bike lanes, and this would expand cycling accessibility.
Since Volkert is also responsible for conducting a citywide traffic study, Gwaltney said he felt their firm made the most sense to complete this study as well.
The City Council allocated $12,000 for an APPLE study of Central Avenue, with the remainder of the $60,000 price tag paid through grants.
Ward 5 Councilor Jennifer Andress said the pedestrian bridge spanning U.S. 280 at Hollywood Boulevard is still in the design phase. The city is working with Sain Associates engineering firm on the scope of the project, and Andress said it has been sent to the Jefferson County Personnel Board for review.
Homewood is also working with ALDOT and local utilities on planning the construction.
The pedestrian bridge, which will be built on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard, is a joint project with Homewood, Mountain Brook, Birmingham and ALDOT since the roadway crosses several jurisdictions.
Homewood and Mountain Brook have each committed $200,000 from their city budgets for the project, and members of the Jefferson County coalition in the state Legislature have donated to the project. The Jefferson County Commission committed $100,000 to the pedestrian bridge on May 9, Andress said.
She said private donations have totaled around $60,000, including a run fundraiser by the Birmingham Track Club, a fundraiser by the Hollywood Garden Club with a $5,000 match and an unnamed individual who committed to match up to $10,000 of the amount raised by the club. Financial firm Raymond James also gave $10,000.
Andress said a final cost for the project has not been determined yet. Estimates in fall 2018 put the project at around $1.1 million.
The pedestrian bridge has had major support from area runners, as the track club sometimes uses Hollywood Boulevard and the bridge is not made for both drivers and foot traffic.
A few new sidewalks will also be added to the city this year.
A sidewalk project on Rumson Road, connecting Yorkshire Drive to Shades Creek Parkway, was set for bid approval on June 17, and work can begin after the winning firm is selected.
Cobb told the City Council in a February work session that the cost of the Shades Creek Greenway and Rumson Road would likely deplete the rest of the city’s budget for 2019, depending on final cost estimates.
A connecting sidewalk between Hillmoor Lane and Patriot Park will be ready to move forward once a bridge, which will span a culvert on the pathway, is delivered, Cobb said. The City Council accepted a negotiated bid of $133,219 in March to complete the sidewalk construction, plus an additional $5,000 to acquire right-of-way access from homeowners on either side of the path.
The Patriot Park Connector’s bridge delivery is expected at the end of July, Cobb said. Bulls Construction Group was awarded the contract.
The city’s other high priority sidewalks, which will likely be moved into the 2020 or later fiscal years’ budgets, include Shades Creek Parkway (Rumson Road to Durham Drive), Clermont Drive (Valley Avenue to Royce Road), Valley Avenue (Valley View Drive to Clermont Drive), Saulter Road (Sylvia Drive to South Wellington Road), 17th Street South (25th Court South to 27th Avenue South), BM Montgomery Street (26th to 28th Avenue South), 17th Place South (26th Avenue South to 25th Court South) and the Covenant Way sidewalk to Columbiana Road.