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Residents, commissioners spar over proposed Belmont Park dirt pit; county staff outline limited authority and traffic fixes
Summary
A resident raised safety and notification concerns about a proposed dirt pit on a 145-acre tract near Belmont Park Drive; county officials said permitting is handled by ADEM, engineers will meet the resident, and turn-lane work is planned at McDonald Road.
John Kelly, a Belmont Park Drive resident, told the Mobile County Commission on the record that neighbors did not receive notice that Parton Smyth Incorporated had purchased about 145 acres and planned to develop a dirt pit, and he warned of safety and infrastructure impacts from heavy dump trucks crossing a nearby bridge and dam.
The county responded that permits for dirt pits fall under the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) rather than county regulatory authority, and county engineers will meet with Kelly to answer technical questions. Commissioners also said engineering staff are planning turn lanes at the Belmont Park Drive–McDonald Road intersection to address traffic concerns raised during public comment.
Kelly told the commission: “I never received a notice personally … No one in our neighborhood received any information about this.” He described heavy truck traffic already crossing the bridge and said he feared vibrations and congestion near the bridge and the McDonald Road intersection.
A commissioner who answered Kelly’s remarks said the county does not have permitting authority over dirt pits and that ADEM handles those permits. The commissioner said the bridge that Kelly cited was inspected in July of last year and “received high marks,” and that the bridge currently does not have a posted weight restriction.
Kim (county staff) clarified that a legally loaded vehicle gross limit under state law is 80,000 pounds and that Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) evaluates bridges using axle-spacing and vehicle-specific load criteria when deciding whether to post weight restrictions. The commissioner said county staff would pursue traffic improvements: “we’re in the process now with putting in some turn lanes, northbound turn lane, southbound turn lane,” referencing work around McDonald Road and Belmont Park Drive.
Commission staff invited Kelly to meet with county engineers after the meeting to review inspection records, loading guidance, and the planned intersection improvements.
The commission did not take formal action on the dirt-pit permitting question at the meeting; staff said the matter falls under state permitting and offered follow-up technical assistance to the resident.
Community members and staff agreed to follow up: engineers were asked to meet the resident, and staff flagged the need to confirm permit status and truck routing with state agencies.
The commission proceeded with routine agenda business after public comment, with no vote recorded on the dirt-pit proposal during the meeting.
