County, SAIN Associates present potential redesign for CR 39/47 intersection
Plans are in the works to redesign an intersection that Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole said is one of the most dangerous in the county.
The intersection of County roads 39 and 47 in Chelsea, which runs in front of Chelsea City Hall and only a few feet from the railroad crossing, poses dangers due to the fact that a traffic light at the intersection causes cars to queue up on the railroad tracks, as well as other factors limit sight distance around the intersection. A plan to redesign the intersection was presented during a public involvement meeting following the Aug. 15 Chelsea City Council meeting.
“The intersection of 39 and 47 and the proximity to the railroad tracks, in my opinion, in my professional opinion, is the most dangerous situation that we have in Shelby County,” Cole said.
The county worked with Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer and the Chelsea City Council to secure an APPLE grant, which allows for a study of the intersection, to help determine next steps for a project. Sain Associates was brought in on the project and helped present maps of the conceptual drawing — “That is to say, this is pretty much what it looks like, but we have not done any detailed design,” Cole said — to residents at the meeting.
After the concept and conceptual drawing was presented, Cole encouraged residents to fill out a sheet of paper with any comments or concerns they had. Those will be taken in for the next 10 days, he said, and then they would see if there are any potential changes.
“Whether it’s ‘Yay, you’re doing a great job’ or ‘Who is the idiot who came up with this?’ — he’s not here tonight,” Cole said with a laugh. “Or you’re neutral on it; you’re not sure it’s the best approach, but it’s better than not anything. “
The city and county are both growing, Cole said, and while that means the two-lane roads will one day be outgrown, it was not economically feasible to go with a four-lane concept at this time.
“We will need it one day. Right now we can get by with two lanes, and one day we’re going to need four lanes,” Cole said. “We just don’t have the finances or the ability to obtain financing at this time.”
There is also no bridge over the railroad track, he said. That would take the project up to $20 million in cost.
The conceptual drawing included multiple changes to the intersection, including:
- Improving the railroad crossing by installing gates and an additional railroad warning light.
- Grading the road to remove a bump at the railroad crossing that currently affects sight distance.
- Clearing vegetation to improve sight distance when approaching the railroad.
Placing a cul-de-sac on CR 47 where the current intersection is.
- Shifting CR 39 and moving the intersection of CR 47 to about 700 feet from the current traffic signal. Initial studies show a traffic light would be warranted at the new intersection, said Sain Associate’s Alicia Bailey, but more studies would need to be done to confirm that.
- Building a new CR 47, to connect to CR 39 and the current CR 47.
- Adding turn lanes to CR 39 when approaching the new intersection with CR 47, and having turn lanes on the new CR 47.
Several residents attended the public involvement meeting, approaching one of many large drawings and asking questions of representatives.
Some residents had concerns about the traffic that would still be present, even after moving the traffic light farther down CR 39. Others mentioned that businesses at the intersection of CR 39 and 47 would lose road frontage once the roads were reworked, or that residents would have to drive further to get to destinations that used to be right down the road, due to the change in the intersection.
“Did the person who designed this live in Chelsea?” one resident asked. “Because if you live in Chelsea, you know this is not going to work.”
Another resident, Kathy Hall, said that while she thinks the “ultimate idea” for the intersection would be a bridge, the plan presented during the meeting is better than the current state of the intersection.
“I definitely think the plan is better than what we have,” said Amanda Gwin, agreeing with Hall.
Sain Associates representative Becky White said she had heard questions from residents about access to specific properties within the area of the project. Because they are in the early stages of planning, White said those determinations have not yet been made. White also said that the most positive comments have been about the addition of turn lanes.
The presentation of the plans are the first step, Cole said, and the next step will be to take into consideration any comments received at the meeting. After that, they will move to the design phase, and then would undergo right of way acquisition, utility relocation, “and only then could actual road construction commence.”
“Projects of this nature just take a while to unfold,” Cole said.
While there is no set timeline for the project, Cole said the goal is to complete the redesign of this intersection and make it safer.
“We’re unveiling this concept because we would like to carry this to fruition,” Cole said.
Comments on the conceptual drawing will be accepted for 10 days from Aug. 15. A comment sheet was provided at the meeting, and comments can be emailed to Scott Holladay at sholladay@shelbyal.com or mailed to:
Shelby County Highway Department
Attn: Scott Holladay, P.E.
Chief Civil Engineer
506 Highway 70
Columbiana, AL 35051