City unveils detailed proposal for new western Hoover connector road
Hoover’s city planner on Monday night unveiled a more detailed proposal for a new road in western Hoover that he said should help relieve traffic woes in Trace Crossings and benefit multiple communities in western Jefferson and Shelby counties.
The comprehensive plan passed by the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission in July 2019 made reference to a proposed new connector road between Morgan Road and South Shades Crest Road, but the proposal shared Monday night was much more defined and specific about a potential route and new land uses along it.
The proposal is for a new 4-mile road that would start at Morgan Road (Shelby County 52) and go through a valley between South Shades Crest Road and Stadium Trace Parkway, cross South Shades Crest Road near Brock’s Gap Parkway, connect with a proposed new Interstate 459 interchange and hook up with Ross Bridge Parkway at Alabama 150.
One of the primary purposes for the road is to provide an alternate route for many of the new houses being built in the southern part of Trace Crossings and the new Blackridge community so as not to add so much traffic to Stadium Trace Parkway, city planner Mac Martin said.
But the proposed new road also would provide a new route for all the traffic coming from points further south, such as Helena, Alabaster and Hoover communities on the south side of Morgan Road.
Many years ago, the idea was for a four-lane Stadium Trace Parkway to provide that connection, but Hoover leaders over the years decided they didn’t want to funnel all the traffic from Helena and other points south through Trace Crossings.
Bob Easley, an engineer who has been working for Signature Homes and U.S. Steel on development plans for Lake Wilborn and Blackridge since 2007, said roadways for Blackridge were intentionally made into private roads with a gate to deter such cut-through traffic.
If that gate wasn’t there and a good connection were made with Morgan Road, there likely would be 10,000 more vehicles per day coming up Stadium Trace Parkway right now, Easley said. Initial projections were that 17,000 more vehicles per day would be using Stadium Trace Parkway if that gate were not in place, he said.
The proposed new connector route unveiled Monday night also would be expected to pull a lot of traffic off South Shades Crest Road and the parts of Morgan Road closer to I-459.
Morgan Road is in the process of being widened, and an additional northbound lane is in the works for the northern part of South Shades Crest Road, but widening South Shades Crest Road further south would prove difficult due to the available right of way there and the number of residents with driveways directly accessing the road, Martin said.
The western part of Hoover has seen a tremendous amount of growth in the last couple of decades. More than half of the new homes developed in Hoover since 2000 have been in the South Shades Crest, Deer Valley and Trace Crossings elementary school zones, Martin said.
Potential land uses
Martin also on Monday night showed a plan for potential land uses along the proposed new connector route. Areas around the proposed new I-459 interchange would be ideal for high-traffic commercial development, as well as the intersection of the new connector road with Morgan Road, Martin said.
Areas in between South Shades Crest Road and the Chestnut Ridge community are being proposed as an employment center for science, technology, engineering and math-related companies, Martin said. The land there would be within two miles of I-459 but also have quick access to nearby neighborhoods so employees could live near where they work if they desire, he said.
A little further south, closer to Morgan Road, land has long been proposed for further residential use.
Another benefit of the proposed road would be to connect numerous recreational facilities, such as the 73-acre mountain bike park in Trace Crossings, the Cahaba River park and greenway currently being built by Signature Homes in Trace Crossings, the Hoover Metropolitan Complex and the Freshwater Land Trust property off Ross Bridge Parkway.
Drawings shared Monday night showed the new connector road as initially being a two-lane road with a multipurpose bicycle and pedestrian path parallel to it. However, there would be enough right of way there to add more lanes for vehicular traffic if needed in the future, Martin said.
How to pay for it
Some of the big questions that remain include how much the connector road would cost and who would provide the money.
Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice said a cost study is underway. He estimates that will take another 60 days to complete, at which point city officials can begin determining a funding method.
One option would be for the city to pay for the project itself, but a more likely scenario would be for the city to pursue funding partners such as the Alabama Department of Transportation, Jefferson and Shelby counties, and other municipalities and private entities that stand to gain from such a route, Rice said.
Another key factor is land ownership. Signature Homes owns a good bit of the property along the route and already has agreed to donate some of the land for the connector road. The city of Hoover already owns 31 acres on the south side of I-459 and has an option to buy 22 acres on the north side of the interstate.
The only other landowner with property in the proposed path of the road is the Brock’s Gap Training Center, which operates a shooting range off South Shades Crest Road, Martin said. The city would need to acquire that property to make the connector road a reality, he said. “That’s a negotiation for another day,” he said.
The lynchpin for the whole plan to work is the development of the new I-459 interchange, Rice said. The interchange has yet to receive federal approval.
The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission plans to have a public hearing on Nov. 9 to consider amending the comprehensive plan to add this more detailed plan for the connector road.