A new four-way stop is coming to the intersection of South Cypress Street and East Orange Avenue as Foley officials work to improve traffic and pedestrian safety around the city’s new public library and community center.

Foley City Council approved the additional stop signs at the intersection, which sits at the northeast corner of the property where the new facility is under construction.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the changes are intended to address visibility concerns and increased foot traffic expected once the library opens later this summer.

"One of the reasons is the sight-line issue," Hellmich said. "They evaluated this with the construction of the new library and more pedestrians being in that particular area. There is some sight-line issue with some of the structures built in conjunction with the library. Having a four-way there would better align with that and slow traffic over those two-block areas."

The stop sign installation is part of a broader effort by the city to upgrade infrastructure surrounding the new library campus. Foley recently completed improvements along South Chicago Street, which connects the library site to U.S. 98.

Those upgrades included brick pavers, pedestrian walkways, decorative lighting, green spaces and additional street trees designed to enhance accessibility and appearance in the area surrounding the new civic development.

When completed, the new library will feature approximately 40,000 square feet of space, making it about twice the size of Foley’s current library facility. City officials have said the expanded building is intended to accommodate growing community use and provide additional meeting, educational and public gathering space.