"font-size: small;">BAY

MINETTE, Ala. — The city of Bay Minette doesn’t have enough

information to move forward with a project to install a truck

route.

"font-size: small;">During the

final of three informational meetings held at city hall last week,

Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery announced that conclusion. She

explained that despite plans for the City Council to vote on a

proposal  to add a route

that would divert commercial traffic from Courthouse Square at its

Feb. 6 meeting, she would ask for a delay in considering the

matter.

"font-family: Calibri;">“We do not

have enough information to vote on it at this time,” she told the

audience. “We never, as a council, want to vote on anything without

having all the information possible.”

"font-family: Calibri;">Instead,

Tillery said she planned to ask the council to approve a traffic

study by Hutchinson, Moore and Rauch LLC engineering firm for the

proposed project.

"font-family: Calibri;">“They can

tell us the weight of these vehicles,” the mayor said. “We need to

know what we are addressing.”

"font-family: Calibri;">Tillery

told the audience that getting trucks off Courthouse Square is

important for Bay Minette.

"font-family: Calibri;">“We can’t

qualify for grants (to improve that area) if trucks are going

around it,” she said, adding that diverting commercial trucks would

benefit pedestrian traffic in the area.

"font-family: Calibri;">According

to a report by HMR, the best scenario would be to connect East

Second Street “to D’Olive via Armstrong Avenue, Railroad Street and

Blackburn Avenue.”

"font-family: Calibri;">To do so,

the following infrastructure changes would be

needed:

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"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Installing a new traffic signal at the

intersection of D’Olive Street and Armstrong

Avenue.

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"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Widening and resurfacing Armstrong

Avenue.

"text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">

"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Widening the intersection of Armstrong

Avenue and Railroad Street by increasing turning radii and pavement

resurfacing.

"text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">

"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Widening, resurfacing and drainage

improvements along Railroad Street from Armstrong Avenue to

Blackburn Avenue.

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"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Removing stop signs along Railroad Street

at the Hand and Hoyle Avenue intersections to create a free-flowing

condition on Railroad Street. These signs would be moved to the

intersecting streets to create a stop condition on those streets,

potentially for both side of the tracks.

"text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">

"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Widening, resurfacing and improving the

shoulders and drainage infrastructure at the intersection of

Railroad Street and Blackburn Avenue, as well as Blackburn Avenue

to East Second Street.

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"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Widening East Second Street and installing

a left-turn lane to facilitate west-bound traffic turning south

onto Blackburn Avenue.

"text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">

"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Installing a traffic signal on East Second

Street at Blackburn Avenue, including a left-turn project

phase.

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"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Requesting ALDOT to allow the traffic

signal at East Second Street and Hoyle Avenue remain in

place.

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"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Implementing directional and regulatiory

signage throughout the route.

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"font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;">

"font-size: small;">·

"line-height: normal; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">        

"font-family: Calibri;">Further coordinating with both state and

county governments to explore the possibilities of potentially

partnering in the implementation of the route and sharing of the

associated cost.

"font-size: small;">When HMR

Project Engineer Robbie Strom took the floor at last week’s

meeting, two separate residents asked about the proposed route’s

impact on nearby residential areas, offering alternate

solutions.

"font-size: small;">“We

analyzed the route,” Strom replied, explaining that the focus of

the study was to remove commercial traffic from Courthouse

Square.

"font-size: small;">Tillery

urged the audience to be open to the changes that such a route

would bring.

"font-size: small;">“I don’t

want to hear any of this, ‘I don’t like it because …,’ or ‘I’m

going to be inconvenienced,’” the mayor said. “Everybody’s going to

be inconvenienced.”

"font-size: small;">Tillery

pointed out that once a more in-depth study is complete and

approved by the council, it would be sent to the

state.

"font-size: small;">“We will

petition ALDOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) to confirm

that plan,” Tillery said.

"font-size: small;">ALDOT would

then conduct its own study of that plan.

"font-size: small;">“When that

comes back, we will pursue the design, implementation and funding,”

Tillery said at last week’s meeting.