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Lee County Commission to seek design for traffic signal and turn lane at busy Smith Station intersection
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Summary
Commission staff said a traffic study shows about 16,000 vehicles a day at the County Road 230/240 intersection in Smith Station and recommended hiring a consultant to design a traffic signal and turn lane, with design work expected in late 2026.
Lee County Commission staff told the board they will ask the commission to hire a design consultant to prepare plans for a traffic signal and turn lane at the intersection of County Road 230 and County Road 240 in Smith Station.
An agency official said, "This intersection carries about 16,000 vehicles per day," and added that Lee Road 240 carries about 12,000 of those vehicles. The official said a traffic study shows the intersection meets the warrant criteria for a signal.
The commission was told the county will enter an agreement with a consultant (named in the discussion as GMC) to design the signal and lane improvements. Staff said construction funding will likely come through the Columbus-area MPO and Alabama Department of Transportation processes, and that hiring a consultant now speeds the project rather than waiting for MPO funding.
A commissioner asked when design would be completed; staff estimated returning design work in the fall, with a specific window of October–December 2026 cited for receiving the plans. No formal construction schedule or construction funding decision was recorded in the discussion.
Why it matters: the intersection currently uses stop control on one approach and experiences peak-hour backups; a signal and turn lane would change traffic control and require coordination with regional transportation partners.
The commission did not record a formal vote in the provided transcript; staff framed the current step as a request to enter an agreement to produce design documents and return to the commission for further action.
