ALDOT plans to widen Alabama 150 between Shades Crest Road and Lake Cyrus entrance

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The Alabama Department of Transportation plans to widen Alabama 150 between Shades Crest Road and the entrance to the Lake Cyrus subdivision, Hoover officials said tonight.

The road has at least five lanes between its origin at U.S. 31 and a point just west of Shades Crest Road. It then tapers down to two or three lanes, headed down a hill toward Ross Bridge, Lake Cyrus and Bessemer.

Tim Westhoven, the city of Hoover’s assistant executive director, tonight said the state has found some money to widen the road between the Whisperwood townhomes and the entrance to Lake Cyrus. The road widening will include the replacement of two dilapidated bridges over Shades Creek and a railroad track, Westhoven said.

The state plans to award a contract for the job in November, and the widening should take two to 2 ½ years, Westhoven said.

However, the Hoover City Council tonight agreed to chip in $150,000 to add a second left-turn lane from Ross Bridge Parkway onto Alabama 150 in conjunction with the widening project. Traffic backs up significantly on Ross Bridge Parkway, and the widening project will add a second eastbound lane on Alabama 150 to accept the traffic from Ross Bridge, Westhoven said.

The Hoover City Council also voted to chip in another $100,000 as incentive money for the state’s contractor to handle that portion of the widening project first.

City staff also tonight asked the City Council to allocate $250,000 left over from various sidewalk projects to a project to extend Medford Drive from the UAB Medical West freestanding emergency department off John Hawkins Parkway to undeveloped land just west of the Medical West facility.

However, new Councilman Casey Middlebrooks asked to remove that reallocation of money from a budget amendment to explore the matter further, and other council members concurred with the request.

The council also tabled a vote on tax incentives for a renovation project recently completed at the Comedy Club Stardome. The club spent more than $500,000 on a renovation project at its facility in Hoover instead of accepting an invitation to move to Birmingham, and asked for tax incentives for staying in Hoover.

The agreement presented to the council would reimburse the Comedy Club half of all additional tax revenues generated for the city by the club, over and above the tax revenues generated in 2015. The tax reimbursements, if approved, would cover revenue raised in 2017 through 2021, according to the agreement.

Councilman John Greene said he didn’t have information on the financial status of the Comedy Club to determine the real benefit to the city on granting a tax abatement. The council voted 5-0 to table the matter. Councilmen Jack Natter and Gene Smith were absent.

The council also tonight:

  • Reallocated $350,000 from excess 911 phone system funds and fire radio system backup funds to use for a police radio project.
  • Agreed to spend more than $200,000 extra on a renovation project at the Hoover Municipal Center, raising the total cost of the project to a little more than $2.8 million.
  • Agreed to pay up to $124,743 to Gonzalez-Strength & Associates for engineering services related to the realignment of the intersection of South Shades Crest Road with Eden Ridge Drive and Shades Run Circle.
  • Agreed to let the Whole Foods Market under construction at 3780 Riverchase Village sell beer and table wine for consumption on or off the premises.
  • Agreed to let Yarbrough Food Service sell alcoholic beverages at the Moss Rock Festival in The Preserve subdivision on Nov. 5-6.
  • Set a public hearing for Oct. 17 to consider Signature Homes’ request to build 40 townhouses and a park in a commercial section of the Ross Bridge Village Center.
  • Set a public hearing for Nov. 7 to consider Signature Homes’ request to add 108 acres to the Blackridge community.
  • Set a public hearing for Nov. 7 to consider a request to build 35 houses in Bluff Park near the intersection of Alford Avenue and Tyler Road.
  • Set a public hearing for Nov. 7 to consider a request to allow Blue Rain Express Car Wash to open a car wash and detailing facility at the southwest corner of Alabama 119 and Tattersall Drive near Greystone.