Shelby 39/47 intersection work enters design phase

The project to move the intersection of Shelby County roads 39 and 47 in Chelsea is currently in the design phase, Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole said.

“Anytime something’s under design, you’re trying to put concepts together,” Cole said.

Work on the intersection, located in front of Chelsea City Hall, has been under discussion for a while, and the intent is to move the intersection away from the railroad tracks in order to make it safer for drivers, because vehicles back up on the tracks with the existing traffic signal. Adding to the traffic is recent growth in housing and residents, as Chelsea has been shown to be the fastest growing city in the state by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Cole has previously said the intersection was dangerous.

“We have a problem there at the railroad crossing, frequently,” Cole said at a Jan. 22 Shelby County Commission meeting. “We had a fatality at that railroad crossing. We’ve had tractor-trailer trucks get stuck on the railroad crossing.”

Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer said the proposed work will put the intersection up on a hill, improving visibility.

“It gets the intersection off the top of the crossing,” Picklesimer said.

The existing Shelby 47 would end in a cul-de-sac where the traffic signal is, Picklesimer said, and the new road will go over the hill. Shelby 39 would extend through the old Weldon store property and up toward Chelsea Middle School, according to a map Cole provided to the County Commission. 

Shelby 47, toward Columbiana, would pick up north of the Chelsea Community Center. That intersection would be several hundred feet from the railroad crossing.

The county worked with Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer and the Chelsea City Council to secure an APPLE grant, which paid for a study of the intersection to help determine next steps for a project. Sain Associates presented maps of the conceptual drawing at a previous meeting with residents.

The project is a partnership between the county and the city of Chelsea, with the city pledging $1.5 million of support, Picklesimer said. Earlier estimates priced the project at $4 million total, but no final price has been set. Once final design plans are laid out, a more precise estimate should be available, Cole said.

County Manager Alex Dudchock previously said there are plans to relocate and replace a water line as part of the project. The county is currently engaging engineering work for the relocation of an undersized PVC line, and the line will be relocated along the new route of the road, Dudchock said.

After the design plan has been finished, the project will be bid out to contractors, Picklesimer said.

For drivers in the area, Picklesimer said there will be some detours and the project will be staged, meaning some work will be conducted in summer 2019 when school is not in session. The project could begin as early as February 2019 and finish by the first quarter of 2020, Picklesimer said.