Downtown traffic study to begin soon

The Alabama Department of Transportation will conduct a traffic study in downtown Hartselle sometime this fall to help correct the traffic signals, which have been a nuisance to most residents.

Department of Development director Jeff Johnson said ALDOT has contracted Sain Engineering Associates to conduct the study, which will begin no sooner than Aug. 19.

Mayor Don Hall told the council Monday night during a work session that the contractor said he could begin as early as June or July, but he asked them to wait until then.

“I wanted to wait until school was back in session to give them a more accurate picture of the downtown traffic problems,” Hall said.

Johnson said he hopes the traffic study will tie the downtown Main Street traffic signals with the railroad signals and the lights on Sparkman Street at the intersections of Chestnut and Hickory streets.

“When there’s a train coming through downtown, we want to have preemptive timers to allow traffic to go north and south on Sparkman Street and Hickory Street,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the project was supposed to begin in October, but ALDOT didn’t have the personnel to perform the study.

“They had to contract it out to perform the study,” Johnson said.

Councilman Kenny Thompson said this is something that’s not only annoying for local drivers, but it’s also a safety issue for pedestrians.

“I’ve nearly gotten hit trying to cross the road in downtown,” Thompson said. “It’s not always safe to walk when it’s green your way.”