Commission withholds permits for Alabama Power pole work until one‑lane access plan is agreed

The Saint Clair County Commission voted to withhold permits for Alabama Power’s planned pole‑installation work after county staff warned the project could require repeated six‑hour road closures and affect up to 21–24 pole locations.

County Engineer Dan Dahlke said the company’s current plan would “close the road down while they’re doing this” for several hours per day and that the county had told the utility it could not issue permits “until we came to some other consultations on this, which would be basically having one lane of traffic open at all times.” Jeff Brown moved that the county not issue permits until Alabama Power reaches an agreement with the county; the motion was seconded and recorded as carried.

Commission discussion centered on how many poles actually sit in county right‑of‑way (engineers estimated about five on county ROW, with additional poles affecting closures), the risk of pavement damage from heavy equipment, and options for reducing traffic impacts by providing temporary shoulder pads or coordinating work to avoid school‑bus hours. Dan Dahlke and other members emphasized working with Alabama Power to find a technical solution that preserves road surface life while maintaining emergency‑vehicle access.

The commission instructed staff to pursue a joint plan with Alabama Power that ensures one lane remains open during work and to return with more detailed right‑of‑way measurements and proposals for temporary pads so the county can reduce traffic disruption and pavement damage.