By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — Trussville Mayor Gene Melton said last week that there are “pieces of the puzzle” floating around that could make downtown Trussville more walkable.
Melton said that the city is “close” to a plan that would connect Railroad Avenue — the road beside Hardee’s off Main Street — to the area to the back of Trussville City Hall.
Trussville resident George Glenn told the Trussville City Council last week that he’s concerned about motorists using the parking lot at First United Methodist Church of Trussville as a cut-through to get from Linden Street to Talley Street. The church last week closed off a portion of the area with a fence. City officials believe there isn’t a city ordinance preventing cut-throughs on private property, so it was suggested that the church put up signage discouraging the act.
The goal of Trussville city officials is to make the downtown area more walkable.
file photo by Ron Burkett
Melton said the the sidewalk area in front of the church will play an “important role” for the future of downtown, since the plan is to have a dedicated right turn lane stretch from Vann Circle to Main Street. He said the turn lane will provide traffic control and divert motorists in directions other than toward the railroad tracks.
The Trussville City Council last year adopted a new downtown master plan that involves a major redesign of downtown Trussville, with the primary focus being placed on road construction and commercial property. The project extends from Kay Avenue on the west side of downtown to the Cahaba River on the east side. It also extends north of U.S. Highway 11 to Hewitt Street and down to the railroad tracks on the south side of downtown.
Earlier this year, www.walkscore.com ranked Alabama’s 35 largest cities in walkability, and Trussville placed 34th. The website used a proprietary algorithm to rank more than 10 million addresses and more than two billion walking routes to neighborhood amenities such as grocery stores and schools. “Walk Scores” for cities were determined by these proximities.
Trussville City Council President Buddy Choat said in February that implementing the downtown master plan will make downtown Trussville a more walkable place. He said the addition of two new community elementary schools — one in the Magnolia Place area and one in the Cahaba Project — will also contribute to walkability in the city. When the greenway project is complete, walking from Civitan Park to the Trussville Sports Complex along the Cahaba River will bring a lot of excitement, Choat said.
“That’ll be the most popular area in Trussville, probably, when it’s all said and done,” Choat said in February.
The overall future goal for downtown Trussville?
“More walkable,” Melton said.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
