ROBERTSDALE – A federal highway grant of more than $700,000 will allow Robertsdale to make major improvements at the intersection of Alabama 59 and Fairgrounds Road at Robertsdale High School.

The Robertsdale City Council voted Monday, March 21, to approve the proposal. The project includes widening the turn lane on Alabama 59 and widening Fairgrounds Road, according to city reports.

Mayor Charles Murphy said the work will reduce traffic congestion at the high school and improve access to the Baldwin County Coliseum. The city bought the Coliseum from Baldwin County in 2021. Murphy said the work will also allow traffic to move better during times when the Coliseum is being used as a hurricane shelter.

“This will help with the congestion with the student drivers and all,” Murphy said. “The other piece is, especially now that it's picking up at the Coliseum and with the Coliseum being a storm shelter, in case we have any kind of inclement weather, this will give increased traffic capacity in that area to be able to service those needs.”

Murphy said city officials worked with U.S. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, to secure the funds.

“We were very fortunate,” Murphy said. “Through Congressman Carl’s office, last March, they sent out a notice that they were accepting applications for drainage and street projects that were shovel ready.”

He said city officials prepared the plans and submitted the proposal to the City Council. The council approved sending the application to Washington, D.C.

“We had looked at some roadway expansion down on Fairground Road where it ties into Highway 59 to ease up with some of the traffic bottlenecks there at the high school,” Murphy said. “The council allowed us to submit that project.

The mayor said the city was notified recently that the project was approved.

“So now we will go through ALDOT to start that process and to finish up the plans and hopefully be started on the project before the end of the year,” Murphy said.

Murphy praised city and congressional staff members for their efforts to get the grant approved.

“I mean, the city staff did a great job with paperwork submission, and we can't thank Congressman Carl and his staff enough for all that they did,” Murphy said.