Residents share thoughts on Cahaba Beach Road project at first public meeting

Traffic and environmental impact were among the top concerns for residents at the first of two public involvement meetings on a proposed reconnection of Cahaba Beach Road.

ALDOT's first meeting, held at Liberty Park Middle School, included presentation of five major alternatives, some with minor variation options, to connect U.S. 280 and Sicard Hollow Road in the Cahaba Beach Road area, with a new bridge over the Little Cahaba River.

Studies on the area for the proposed roadway were included in packets for meeting attendees. According to those results, the road would serve over 8,000 cars daily between Swan Drive and the river, and around 9,000 cars between the river and Sicard Hollow Road.

The different road options vary in length from 8,400 to 11,100 feet, with most of them just over 9,000 feet. Depending on location, the bridge could be anywhere from 290 to 860 feet. According to the studies presented, none of the alternatives would have an environmental impact on wetlands, streams, threatened and endangered species or archaeological and historic sites.

Cost estimates ranged from $10 million to $21.6 million.

The Cahaba River Society and other community members have expressed concern about the ecological and health impact of destroying the unused bridge currently on the Little Cahaba River and constructing a new one. This included Southern Environmental Law Center staff attorney Sarah Stokes, who attended the public involvement meeting.

Stokes' concern is that construction runoff into the river, plus the addition of pollution from thousands of cars passing over the river, could have unwanted consequences for the Little Cahaba River's plant and animal life. She noted that the intake for much of the area's water supply is downstream from the proposed sites.

"I'm concerned about our drinking water intake," Stokes said.

She added that connecting the road could encourage more development in an area that mostly remains wooded and untouched. As they looked at maps in the LPMS cafeteria, a few other attending residents voiced their opinion that the area should be left undeveloped.

Brook Highland resident Mike Chanslor, who formerly lived in Liberty Park, said he would prefer to promote an environmentally conscious plan rather than prevent any development of the road. He recalled driving over the Cahaba Beach Road bridge as a kid and has taken his own children to enjoy the Cahaba River, so keeping the river clean is significant to him.

"I feel like I've grown up in just this area," Chanslor said.

However, Chanslor said he felt "very positive" toward the idea of the project overall as long as the safety of the surrounding habitat was preserved.

Residents at the meeting had multiple concerns about traffic. Some felt that the Cahaba Beach Road project would bring more traffic to Sicard Hollow Road and the surrounding neighborhoods, adding congestion to an already busy roadway. Others were concerned that not enough drivers would need or want to use the road to travel to and from work or school, thus developing the area unnecessarily.

ALDOT spokesperson DeJarvis Leonard said the goal of public involvement meetings is to gather exactly this sort of resident feedback "in order to make an informed decision" before a project moves forward. After gathering all public comments, Leonard said ALDOT would study the feedback to narrow down its alternatives for the project.

"That decision would be based on the comments we received today," Leonard said.

The short list of possible sites for the project would be presented in another series of public meetings, likely in summer 2017 or later, he said. Comments from that second round of meetings would be used to make a final choice on the layout of the project.

The second meeting will be Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at First Christian Church, 4954 Valleydale Road. Public comments can also be delivered by mail or email within 10 days of the meetings.

Contact Geneva Brown at browng@dot.state.al.us or:

ATTN: Geneva Brown, PE

East Central Region, ALDOT

P.O. Box 2745

Birmingham, AL 35202