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Council signals interest in engineering plans to make Bolivar Circle four lanes
Summary
Council members discussed pursuing an 18–24 month set of engineering plans (city-funded) to make a segment of Bolivar Circle four lanes and be shovel-ready for future funding; ALDOT owns the right-of-way and would permit construction when funding is available.
Council members and staff discussed developing engineering plans for completing a four-lane Bolivar Circle to improve traffic flow and support economic development, and the council indicated consensus to pursue professional engineering work at the city’s expense.
A council member said the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) already owns the right-of-way along an almost 3.5-mile stretch and that the city has discussed the concept with an engineering firm. The speaker said producing a set of engineering plans and permitting paperwork would take “somewhere between 18 and 24 months” and told the council that having plans would create a shovel-ready project that could be more competitive for ALDOT or federal funding.
Staff and council members said the work would be permitted by ALDOT but paid for by the city. The speaker said the council’s strategic planning has long discussed connectivity improvements and that moving ahead with engineering plans would position the city to pursue grants and other funding when they become available. Several council members signaled support for moving forward, and the chair said there was consensus to pursue the next step of contracting for engineering services.
No formal vote was taken at that time; council members asked staff to include more detail and to place the agreement for professional services on a future meeting agenda for formal consideration.
