Roseland, Mecca sidewalks approved

Following a Nov. 25 work session, Homewood City Council fine-tuned details for sidewalk projects in the city.

Roseland Drive

A new sidewalk of more than 700 square feet will be constructed on the north side of Roseland Drive starting in early December. Depending on weather, it could be complete by Christmas.

The existing curb will be brought out, and the sidewalk will be placed in the street, rather than in the city’s right of way as originally proposed. In total, the project is estimated to cost $40,000.

Street parking will be preserved for residents without driveway access, as requested by area residents. In addition, part of the road will be narrowed to calm traffic, also a concern of residents. The Council is also considering constructing center islands down the length of Roseland to further calm traffic and to add to the aesthetics of the street.

 “This sidewalk is huge in the linking of Homewood, and this decision was, to date, one of the toughest we have made,” Ward 4 City Council Representative Heather Reid said. “A considerable effort was made to balance the needs of the ward versus the wishes of the immediately affected residents.”

According to Reid and fellow Ward 4 Representative Jenifer Wallis, the sidewalk will be a major connecting point for Edgewood residents to walk to the library and to areas of Mayfair.

Once construction begins, residents are asked to temporarily remove their vehicles from the curb of the street.

Mecca Avenue

A new sidewalk on Mecca Avenue, a mostly one-way street, will help students who walk from Homewood Middle School to Oxmoor Road. The 646 feet of sidewalk will cost $95,000 for engineering and construction.

The project includes building out 4 feet of sidewalk on Mecca and short portions of Highland Road and Peerless Avenue.

Mayor Scott McBrayer plans to bid the project to Gresham Smith Partners.

Rumson Road

In Ward 5, a street survey will be taken to determine the cost of potential sidewalks on Rumson Road, a street where many children play and walk to school.

The revised plan would place sidewalks only in the most dangerous section, from Windsor to Yorkshire, and save the rest of the original project, which would cost between $260,000 and $280,000, for the road for future years.