Plot purchase clears way for Three Points improvement
The city of Roanoke took action Monday to remove an obstacle that was both literally and figuratively stonewalling the city’s efforts to improve a major intersection.
Roanoke City Council agreed by a 3-1-1 vote Monday (with Tammi Holley voting “No” and Kesa Johnston abstaining) to pay $12,000 to Jimmy Allen for a small plot of land at the intersection of LaFayette Highway and Main Street – commonly known in Roanoke as Three Points. The land at the center of the transaction is home to a concrete wall that currently limits the width of a potential right-hand turn lane from LaFayette Highway onto Main Street.
Because that wall is private property, it could not legally be removed without the owner’s approval. The city’s purchase of the property resolves that issue.
The plot of land is less than a tenth of an acre, but the city feels the price tag is a worthwhile investment as it will allow the city to remove the wall and clear a path for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to begin a much-needed upgrade to the intersection.
ALDOT has told the city that they will replace the aging Three Points traffic signal and create a defined and striped right-hand turn lane as part of a $120,000 project. ALDOT will foot the bill for that project, but one of the prerequisites for its completion was the removal of the wall so that the turn lane could be built up to required specifications.
The project will also include the reinstallation of a pressure point in the roadway, so that the new traffic signal will change based on the flow of traffic. The pressure point was damaged in the 2019 LaFayette Highway paving project and was never replaced.
Once the newly purchased wall is removed, work is expected to begin sometime this summer.
COVID restrictions lifted
Almost as an afterthought that came as a result of a discussion of the library’s summer reading program, the council unanimously agreed to lift all COVID-19-related restrictions at all city properties and departments.
The council had previously lifted restrictions at the recreation department, but Monday’s action made that policy uniform citywide.
That decision includes the removal of any limitations on the size of gatherings, clearing the way for the summer reading program to proceed on a normal, pre-pandemic schedule.
Library director Margaret Calhoun said the program is fully booked with lots of kid-friendly activities throughout the summer and invited parents to get kids up to age 13 enrolled.
Limit water use Monday
The city’s water filter plant will be offline for maintenance for approximately six hours Monday, and the council asked that citizens limit their use of water during that time to only essential purposes.
Wrecker added to city’s rotation
The council unanimously agreed to add Daniel Towing to the city’s rotation of wrecker services. Three other companies – Smith’s, 431 Auto and Taylor’s – previously made up the city’s rotation.
Those three companies will continue to operate for the remainder of the existing schedule, and Daniel will be added once the new quarterly schedule begins.
