County balks at Alabama Power pole work, urges one‑lane access and coordination

St. Clair County commissioners directed staff to press Alabama Power for a coordinated plan after the county engineer said the utility’s pole‑replacement work will require repeated road closures and could shut the road for weeks.

“We didn't feel like we was going to be able to give them the permit until we came to some other consolations,” County Engineer Dan Dahlke said, describing plans that show about 21–24 poles and periods when crews would need to close the roadway for up to six hours per pole. Dahlke told commissioners the county asked Alabama Power to ensure one lane of traffic remains open at all times and to coordinate timing around bus runs and emergency access.

The chair moved that the county not issue permits for the work until the parties reach an agreement and asked staff to develop a county plan that could reduce the number of full closures (for example, by preparing an 11‑foot shoulder pad where feasible). Commissioners debated the number of poles that sit on county right‑of‑way versus those off the county right‑of‑way and discussed potential damage to a road surface that was paved only a few years ago. The meeting record shows the commission asked staff to pursue a negotiated resolution with Alabama Power rather than unilaterally issuing a permit that could interrupt traffic and emergency access.