FAIRHOPE – Plans for two more traffic roundabouts in Fairhope are moving forward, city officials said.
One roundabout is planned at the intersection of Alabama 104, Scenic 98 and Veterans Boulevard, next to the Fairhope Flower Clock. City officials began planning the project more than 10 years ago, but the work was put on hold, Richard Johnson, Fairhope public works director, said.
Johnson said engineers with Volkert and Associates did a study on the roundabout around 2008.
“So they’re putting together a proposal to take those plans out of stasis and get them updated and we’ll be bringing that back to you, hopefully in the next two meetings to get authorization to move forward on that,” Johnson told City Council members Monday, Oct. 25.
He said the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization has approved funding for preliminary engineering this year. The MPO oversees the allocation of federal highway funds for Eastern Shore projects.
The intersection is on the west side of city property known as the Dyas Triangle. On Oct. 15, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Fairhope would receive $999,989 through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act to develop the North Triangle Nature Park.
City Council President Jack Burrell said the work to develop the park should be coordinated with the roundabout project. He said one proposal for park improvements at the site is a tunnel under the road to allow pedestrians to cross the highway.
“The mayor and I are in agreement, both of these projects, when the happen, happen simultaneously so that when the open, they open together,” Burrell said. “It would be a shame to have an improvement here and then go to construction there or vice versa.”
Mayor Sherry Sullivan was not at the Oct. 25 meeting.
Johnson said the tunnel is part of city plans for improvements paid for by the GOMESA grant. He said the MPO has approved paying for the roundabout in its budget for projects in 2022 or 2023 but that funding could be moved forward.
“There were projects that were funded for this year for other members that are probably not going to happen and I’m hoping that we can move with the speed on this and that we can come back to the MPO and hopefully get construction money this year and give up our construction money for those projects that weren’t going to happen this year anyway,” Johnson said.
The city and Baldwin County Commission are also working on plans for a roundabout at the intersection of Baldwin County 32 and Baldwin County 13. The roundabout would be built by the county.
The City Council also voted Oct. 25 to approve beautification work at the site.
Johnson said the work will include landscaping and lighting in the center of the roundabouts. He said the city has done similar work to improve other roundabouts in Fairhope.
“It’s what we did at both 48 and at Gayfer,” Johnson said of the two roundabouts on Baldwin County 13. “The feds will not pay for pretty concrete that looks like brick pavers and they will not pay for landscaping.”
Burrell said city crews have done good jobs improving existing roundabouts.
“I’m glad that we beautify those roundabouts,” Burrell said. “I think they do a good job with that.”
