Rerouting project underway in Chelsea
A road project years in the making is finally coming to fruition.
Construction to create a new intersection at Shelby County 47 and Shelby County 39 in Chelsea began in May and is scheduled to be completed in November.
The project is a joint collaboration between Shelby County and the city of Chelsea to both alleviate traffic congestion at the intersection, as well as make it safer at the railroad crossing.
County Engineer Randy Cole said his first concern is always public safety.
“This has been a top priority for a number of years, and I’m very glad to see this under construction. Unfortunately, there have been fatalities on this stretch of road, particularly at the railroad crossing, and this has been a high priority project for both the Shelby County Commission and the city of Chelsea. We had to acquire the right of way, get it designed, coordinate with the railroad and relocate a major water line as part of this project. It has a lot of moving parts, and it was difficult to pull it all together.”
There have been several hurdles to finally get to the point of construction, one of them being due to the railroad tracks involved.
“CSX railroad is a very independent organization,” Cole said. “They have their priorities and protocols, and they don’t necessarily mesh easily with our priorities. However, we were able to work out mutually agreeable terms to upgrade that crossing.”
With the intersection’s current design, traffic backs up southbound toward Columbiana, and cars can become stopped over the railroad tracks. Cole said when that happens, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“Part of the problem is [the] traffic light, which has to be there. That intersection did not function well when we put it in,” Cole said. “The only thing to do is move the light further away from railroad track and create a new intersection.”
CHANGES AND COST
The new plan involves moving the intersection several hundred feet down Shelby County 39 and installing a new signal there. Traffic going toward Columbiana will turn left between Liberty Baptist Church and Chelsea Church of God onto the newly constructed road, which will tie back into Shelby County 47 just before the Chelsea Community Center.
“Coming from Columbiana, there will not be a T-intersection. It will be circular,” Cole said. “It will be a smooth curve and connect back into [Shelby County 39] much closer to the middle school.”
Shelby County 39 will be leveled, straightened and moved closer to Chelsea City Hall.
Shelby County 47 will turn into a cul-de-sac where the traffic signal is currently positioned and will function only as a turnaround.
Another feature of this project will be to improve the railroad tracks to take out the sharp hump over which drivers must go. Cole said 18-wheelers have front and rear wheels so far apart that the undercarriage of their trailers drags the track, and in some cases, the trucks have gotten stuck on the track, which causes a major safety issue.
“We are going to flatten out over the railroad tracks so that it won’t dip down,” Cole said. “It will continue with a positive grade uphill and straighten out the road, which will go between the former Weldon Store location and Chelsea City Hall, making it a much straighter shot.”
The bid award for the project was approximately $3.8 million and went to Selective Inc. of Hoover. There are no state or federal funds being used in the project, which is being paid for jointly by Shelby County and the city of Chelsea, — around 70 percent from the county and 30 percent from the city of Chelsea.
DELAYS AND DETOURS
Cole said anytime the department does a project “under traffic,” there will invariably be inconveniences to the public. He said they are attempting to minimize those, and there will be no construction taking place that will allow any blockages or land closures during school traffic hours in the mornings and afternoons.
“Hopefully by the first of November, the project will be completed, and that won’t be much of the school year that is impacted,” he said.
Plans for detours are to be done primarily while school is in session, and traffic will continue on the existing alignment until completion.
Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer asks for patience from those traveling in that area during the construction phase and said he appreciates CSX cooperating with the city for this project, adding that he looks forward to improved traffic flow for everybody involved.
“This project has been in the works longer than five years, and we are excited they are finally getting to it,” Picklesimer said. “It’s going to be a tremendous relief to all the traffic on [Shelby County 39], especially the middle school traffic. We are anxiously looking forward to the completion of the project and relief to our traffic in front of City Hall. Although I realize there will be some delays and some heartache while in process, the end product should provide some much-needed relief.”