Foley moving forward to connect Pride Drive North round-about to South Pecan Street

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 2/18/20

FOLEY - Foley passed a resolution to increase and appropriate funds for a road building project that will connect Pride Drive North to South Pecan Street.

“The 2020 budget anticipated the first …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Subscribe to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Get the gift of local news. All subscriptions 50% off for a limited time!

You can cancel anytime.
 

Please log in to continue

Log in

Foley moving forward to connect Pride Drive North round-about to South Pecan Street

Posted

FOLEY - Foley passed a resolution to increase and appropriate funds for a road building project that will connect Pride Drive North to South Pecan Street.

“The 2020 budget anticipated the first in-house project to be Farmers Market Road, however a section of Pecan Street between Lay Lane and Pride Drive has become a higher priority,” said Darrell Russell, public works superintendent. “We are proposing to do this road in 2020 rather than its original plan of 2023 and delay the Farmers Market road project to a future year.”

An additional $134,443 is needed to build the new proposed road.

Councilmember Charlie Ebert III pointed out the need to have an estimated cost to resurface a section of Pecan Street from Michigan Avenue South to go along with this project. He argued that the portion of road was in bad shape and would see an increase in traffic were a connector built between Pecan and Pride Drive. If the new road is constructed, the council needs to consider resurfacing the portion of road sooner rather than later, he said.

Farmers Market Road became a high priority when plans for a hotel were discussed near the area. Since that time, the hotel is no longer happening, and now OWA is moving forward with construction of a large RV park near the Pride Drive North round-about. This has caused a shift in priorities. OWA officials hope to have the RV park complete by August. OWA developers plan to construct a road going into the RV park.

“Even if the RV park wasn’t being built, from my perspective you go down Juniper Street at 5 p.m. and you’re ten deep at the four way stops,” said councilmember Ralph Hellmich. “There is no other road east until you get to the Beach Express. On the west side of Foley we have Cedar Street and Hickory Street and it kind of splits the traffic; Pecan should be equivalent to Hickory on our east side.”

Ebert argued that even if Farmers Market Road was delayed, it needed to be on the fast track as well. He said if people were able to leave the Farmers Market and the surrounding facilities going north without having to get back on Highway 20 and going east or west it would help traffic tremendously.

City Administrator Mike Thompson said plans for the Farmers Market Road were complete, and the decision to build the road to Pecan Street would delay future projects one year, placing Farmers Market Road in the 2021 fiscal year.

The new road stretching from Pride Drive will take approximately six to eight months to complete. Council stated once it is finished, work on Farmers Market Road could potentially begin immediately.

For more on Foley, check out https://cityoffoley.org.