By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — Three sections of Trussville-Clay Road in Trussville will soon be undergoing a historical study.
The right-of-way areas where Trussville-Clay Road intersects with Service Road, the Longmeadow subdivision entrance and Husky Parkway will be studied by University of Alabama researchers to determine any historical significance. Culverts will also be studied as part of the $1,500 study that the Alabama Department of Transportation is requiring, Trussville Mayor Gene Melton said.
“They want to make sure there’s nothing out there that’s over 50 years old that’s being impacted,” Melton said.
Adding turn lanes on Trussville-Clay Road and signalization at Husky Parkway was on Gov. Robert Bentley’s Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program. The local match is $184,575 and ATRIP covers $738,300 for a total of $922,875.
Melton said the project could be let for bid in December, with construction possibly beginning in February 2015 or March 2015.
Melton said he hopes nothing of historical significance is discovered. University of Alabama researchers were approved of performing an archaeological dig at the Hewitt-Trussville Stadium site last year. The archaeological study began after researchers found evidence of a prehistoric settlement at the stadium site, finding things such as stone-made tools and man-made pottery. The city paid the University of Alabama $142,577.24 for the archaeological dig.
Melton also said the bridge over Husky Parkway is “all but finished.” If the road in front of the Hewitt-Trussville field house and practice fields that run beside the Trussville Civic Center are completed, the plan is to open the bridge by the time school starts in early August.
The Trussville City Council in August 2013 approved Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie to construct the bridge. The contracting company was approved with a base bid of $3,281,445.13. The bridge will be three lanes and include a pedestrian lane.
The more than 300-foot bridge spans the Cahaba River and will alleviate traffic congestion on Deerfoot Parkway. Melton has said that once the Husky Parkway bridge is open, traffic patterns in Trussville will likely change. Congestion will move away from Chalkville Mountain Road and the downtown Trussville area.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.