Foley looks to partner with county for road project grants

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 7/16/19

FOLEY - Foley councilmembers approved two resolutions supporting the Baldwin County commission’s re-build grant applications for future projects concerning County Roads 10 and 20.

“City …

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Foley looks to partner with county for road project grants

Posted

FOLEY - Foley councilmembers approved two resolutions supporting the Baldwin County commission’s re-build grant applications for future projects concerning County Roads 10 and 20.

“City officials recently met with Commissioner Skip Gruber and County Engineer Joey Nunnally to talk through our anticipated road plans for the next ten years,” said Foley City Administrator Mike Thompson. “Some of the things in our road plan are actually county projects that are to be county headed. These resolutions will recognize from the city that we’re willing to partner with the county commission if they go after grants for these road projects.”

The County Road 10 and James Road project would be a partnership between three local governmental entities: Foley, Gulf Shores, and Baldwin County. The second project pertaining to County Road 20 and Highway 65 would be a partnership between Foley and Baldwin County. Foley hopes by showing their support of the county going for grants and their willingness to enter a partnership, these two large projects in the plan could get accomplished within the next few years if the grants are awarded, Thompson said.

“One of the big concerns that has come from the public over the past is the connectivity east and west, and I know this County Road 10 project fits the bill, as does County Road 20,” said councilman Ralph Hellmich.

Thompson states the County Road 10 project will help connectivity both east/west and north/south, and a large portion of the recent road infrastructure analyzes has focused on connectivity.

“The idea is if we could get our locals on city streets and off Highway 59 and the Beach Express then it gets them out of large traffic jams, and it’s also good for reducing traffic for our tourists,” Thompson said.

The upcoming ten-year plan calls for a large sum of money to complete, and the council agrees that any grants are welcome, whether obtained through a partnership or independently. The County Road 12 and Highway 59 intersection is another concern of the council, but it’s been recognized there will be challenges widening the road due to utilities in the ground and drainage.

“If we can get the County Road 10 project done, then County Road 12 will no longer be your southernmost east/west road,” Hellmich said. “So some of the traffic will be decreased at that intersection, which will help.”

The road plans will be presented to the planning commission before returning to the council, at which point the councilmembers hope to schedule a public town meeting to allow citizens to give their thoughts, concerns, and input on what they would and wouldn’t like to see.

“I think that connectivity on these roads, where it’s possible to do, is something that we need to be as proactive on as possible,” said Hellmich. “There’s a lot of challenges for us with funding, and any opportunity that we get we need to look into it.”