Pedestrian crosswalk upgrades set for Downtown Foley

Pedestrian crosswalk upgrades set for Downtown Foley

Crossing U.S. 98 will soon be safer for Foley school students and other pedestrians after Foley City Council approved funding for pedestrian improvements at Cedar Street, Oak Street, Pine Street, Chicago Street and the Antique Rose Trail. The locations include crossings used by children going to three Foley schools where flashing beacons to warn drivers when pedestrians are waiting to cross the highway. Additional improvements include providing better access to nearby driveways, raised medians and additional signs. City officials hope to begin work by September and have the improvements completed before the end of the year.
Taylor Davis, Foley city engineer, said the project is a cooperative effort between the state, which maintains the highway, and city, which maintains the municipal streets, in an effort to improve pedestrian safety near the schools and other downtown locations.
The state is providing most of the funding for the project through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program. The HSIP is intended to help the state, counties and cities reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Alabama roads.
Davis said the city has been working on plans to improve the intersections since 2022.
Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the state is helping Foley improve roads in many areas of the city.
“This is due to the relationship that we developed and cultivated with them for many years,” Hellmich said. “They are being really good partners right now, and we’re trying to get a lot of these projects done.”
The mayor said another joint project being developed will improve the traffic signals at the intersection of Myrtle Street and Alabama 59.