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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Work crews make progress on new sidewalk construction along Patton Chapel Road on Jan. 5.
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Roadwork continues along Patton Chapel Road and Chapel Lane, seen here Jan. 3 following a light snow.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Workers prepare the side of the road on Patton Chapel Road as work crews add sidewalks Jan. 3.
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Roadwork continues at the intersection of Patton Chapel Road and Chapel Lane on Jan. 5.
Hoover officials this year are continuing their quest to make the city more pedestrian friendly, investing at least $2.5 million in sidewalk projects.
One of the largest projects underway is the Inverness Greenway, a 1.8-mile pedestrian path along Inverness Parkway from Valleydale Road to and through the Inverness Nature Park.
The project was about 80% complete near the end of 2021 and is expected to be finished this spring, said Jehad Al-Dakka, the city’s chief operations officer.
The total cost of the project is $2.3 million, with 80 percent of the money coming from the federal government and Hoover and Shelby County each contributing $234,630.
The city also this year plans to extend the sidewalk along Chapel Road about a mile from Matzek Drive to an existing sidewalk on Park Avenue. Coordination with utility companies was about 85% complete near the end of 2021, and construction is expected to begin this spring, Al-Dakka said.
Once that stretch of sidewalk is completed, people will be able to walk on sidewalks all the way from U.S. 31 along Patton Chapel Road, Chapel Road, Park Avenue and Valley Street to Shades Crest Road, with multiple sidewalks branching off of those into various neighborhoods.
There are at least seven other sidewalk projects under design right now that the city hopes to bid out this summer for construction, Al-Dakka said.
Those projects are:
► A sidewalk on Old Columbiana Road from Patton Chapel Road to Green Valley Elementary School, which is expected to cost $265,000.
► A sidewalk on Al Seier Road from east of Sulphur Springs Road to Shades Mountain Park, estimated to cost $265,000.
► A sidewalk on Sulphur Springs Road from Preserve Parkway to Al Seier Road, estimated to cost $320,000.
► A sidewalk on Inverness Center Drive from Valleydale Road to U.S. 280, estimated to cost $265,000.
► A sidewalk on Russet Woods Drive from South Shades Crest Road to Guyton Road, estimated to cost $600,000.
► A sidewalk and drainage improvements on Maiden Lane from Savoy Street to Cloudland Drive, estimated to cost $265,000.
► A sidewalk on Oriole Drive from Star Lake Drive to Deo Dara Drive, estimated to cost $265,000.
The city also plans to build a sidewalk along Alford Avenue. The first phase of that is slated to be from Haden Street to Pine Lane. Design was about 95% complete around the end of the year, and the city hopes to begin right of way acquisition by this spring.
A 1.8-mile sidewalk along John Hawkins Parkway also is planned between U.S. 31 and the entrance to Cahaba River Estates at the Colonial Promenade Hoover (Walmart) shopping center. Design work was about 90% complete near the end of 2021, with right of way acquisition to follow. Two years ago, the project was expected to cost $2.7 million, with $2.1 million coming from the federal government and $535,000 coming from the city.
Other capital projects
In addition to sidewalks, the city has several other capital projects in the works this year. Here is a summary of some of them, according to information provided by Al-Dakka and the city’s budget:
► Repairing a filter at the Inverness sewer plant. That $187,788 job was 95% complete near the end of 2021 and should be finished by this spring.
► Replacing a sewer pump station in the Applecross community. Construction is expected to cost about $685,000 and should begin in the spring.
► Replacing a sewer pump station in the Woodford community. That project is expected to cost $515,000, and construction should begin in December.
► Upgrading pump stations in Inverness and Riverchase. That project is expected to cost $105,000, and construction should begin in the spring.
► Extending a right turn lane on Valleydale Road leading to Jaguar Drive. That project is expected to cost $252,000, and construction should start this summer.
► Adding a traffic signal on John Hawkins Parkway at ATI Parkway to make way for 272 apartments, a 180-unit assisted living facility, 96-room hotel and a new office building. The traffic signal is expected to cost $262,500, with the developer contributing $125,000. Construction should start this summer.
► Adding a traffic signal on Stadium Trace Parkway at the main entrance to the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium parking lot, to make way for the new Knox Square residential and retail development across from the stadium. That traffic signal is expected to cost $257,500.
► Upgrades to the traffic signal timing on Alabama 150 between Ross Bridge Parkway and The Grove shopping center. That project is expected to cost $50,000, and construction should start this summer.
► Replacing the streetlights on a 1.35-mile stretch of U.S. 31 between Patton Chapel Road South and Interstate 65. That project is costing almost $1.5 million and should be complete by August.
► Demolishing the Bluff Park Community Center and building a new pavilion. Design was 90% complete near the end of 2021, and demolition should take place in February. The project initially came in way over budget and has been reduced in scope. A new cost estimate was not yet available.
► Improving the roadway and drainage system on Tamassee Lane. That project is expected to cost almost $800,000 and construction should be completed by this spring.
Jefferson County projects
Jefferson County also is taking the lead on several key road projects in and near Hoover:
► County officials said they hope to complete the widening and sidewalk project on Patton Chapel Road and the reconfiguration of the intersections of Patton Chapel Road with Preserve Parkway, Chapel Lane and Chapel Road in “early 2022,” with a target date of the end of March. It’s a $6.2 million project that covers about 1.2 miles. Construction started in March 2020 with the replacement of the bridge over Patton Creek. The project also includes a new entrance and exit for Gwin Elementary School and an upgraded guardrail for Simmons Middle School.
► The widening of Morgan Road between South Shades Crest Road and Interstate 459 from two lanes to four lanes with turn lanes and the realignment of the intersection of Morgan Road and South Shades Crest Road is at least 40% complete and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, county officials said. The $25 million project covers 2.6 miles.
► Design is complete for the addition of a second northbound lane on South Shades Crest Road between Willow Lake Drive and Alabama 150. The county is coordinating the relocation of utilities and working with CSX on the expansion of the bridge over railroad tracks, and the county has begun right of way acquisition. Construction is expected to start sometime this year and is targeted for completion by Sept. 1, 2023. The project is expected to cost $6 million, with Hoover and Jefferson County splitting the cost.
► Survey and design work is expected to begin in 2022 for the extension of Lakeshore Parkway, realigning the road’s intersection with Alabama 150 and establishing a new direct connection with Morgan Road. Morgan Road also will be widened from two to five lanes between a new Carvana manufacturing facility and Alabama 150. The project is expected to cost $9.5 million and is targeted for completion by February 2025.
