The Frederick Road widening project in Opelika will probably be delayed, but federal funding should remain intact, according to Mayor Gary Fuller.
Opelika City Engineer Walter Dorsey, Planning Director Jerry Kelley and Fuller met with officials from Alabama Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration Thursday in Montgomery to discuss the project.
About 80 percent of the road-widening project was to be paid with Metropolitan Planning Organization federal funds, with the city of Opelika paying the remaining costs. Constructionwas slated to begin in August.
When the Frederick Road project was planned more than 10 years ago, the section of road from the Auburn city limits to Enterprise Drive was to be widened from two lanes to four lanes with a raised median.
About four weeks ago, however, Fuller instructed city administrators to redesign the final leg of Frederick Road without a median. The design change is expected to delay the project.
On Thursday, city officials were told they will need to update the road-widening project’s environmental impact statement following the design change, Fuller said Friday afternoon.
Federal funding for the project, however, is still in place, Fuller said. “We don’t anticipate it changing,” Fuller said of the project’s main source of funding.
Fuller said he made the decision to remove the median after meeting with a number of people who own businesses and property along that section of Frederick Road. Council members Eddie Smith, whose ward includes that section of Frederick Road, and William Lazenby also attended.
The meeting was arranged by the business and property owners, Fuller said.
All of the business owners at the meeting were against having a median along that section of Frederick Road, Fuller said. Smith and Lazenby were also against it, he added.
The state DOT has been responsible for finalizing the purchases of right of way for the Frederick Road project. Fuller said he does not expect the city to pay back property owners for previous right-of-way purchases following the project’s design change.
“Basically, the right of way is not going to change substantially.” Fuller said. “It’s about the same amount of property that is involved.”
Fuller was unsure how long it would take to update the environmental impact statement for the project. A proposal and resolution have to written before the city council can vote whether to authorize Volkert Engineering to update the statement, he said.
“It could be ready by the next city council meeting (May 6),” Fuller said of the required paperwork.
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