FOLEY — Crews began work on the latest Foley street project to improve traffic flow through the city.

The project extends South Pecan Street from Lay Lane south to East Pride Drive.

Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the new street will improve north-south access for drivers in the city.

"We started on the South Pecan Street connection that will connect Pride Drive with Pecan Street," Hellmich said. "You will be able to turn on Highway 98, then go all the way down to basically almost to County Road 10, Brinks Willis Road down there, so it will be a nice connector on the east side. It will help out a little bit for people that may not want to go down Juniper Street."

He said the new extension will require more stops and slower speeds than some routes, but will be an additional way for drivers to get through town.

"It's not as much of a thoroughfare because there are stop signs and it's a lot of residential and you have to go through a couple of traffic circles," Hellmich said. "So it's not a County Road 65, 50 mile an hour road through there, but it opens up some connectivity for the public."

The extension is part of a project that will also add routes for golf carts, bicycles and pedestrians going from Pecan Street and a recreational vehicle park under construction along the route to the Foley Sports Tourism complex and the OWA park site.

"We are adding connectivity in that area," Hellmich said. "We're making it golf cart friendly where the sidewalk-path there will be golf cart friendly. You can actually get into your golf cart up around Michigan Avenue and go all the way into the OWA facility on your golf cart."

Foley recently completed an extension of North Pecan Street from Peachtree Boulevard to Fern Avenue, a distance of almost 2,000 feet.

"It is open to the public now," Hellmich said. "It is being used very much. It's a pretty big major road project."

The city is also working on a major project to extend Juniper Street to the south and west to join Alabama 59.

"The Juniper Street extension goes from the County Road 20 and Juniper intersection right now curves around and comes out on 59," Hellmich said. "That one is well on its way. We hope to finish that one, I believe within the next month, month and a half."

He said the city and Alabama Department of Transportation are also working to install new signal lights where the extended road will link with Alabama 59. The completion of the intersection project will depend on when the lights and other equipment will be available.

"They are having to install the red lights, the signalized intersections, and that, that we're at the mercy of the signal company," Hellmich said. "There's only one of them, or two of them in the Southeast United States. They kind of are busy. So we're on a schedule with them and and they have to work with ALDOT."