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I would like to open with a Happy New Year to each one of you and your families.
Over the Christmas holiday weekend, we had significant weather hit our area. Special recognition should be given to our Department of Public Works as they continue to show why they are the best at what they do. For those of you who don’t know, they were working 24-hour shifts during the storm to keep the roads as clear as they could. Additionally, the Public Works team and our Police and Fire Departments all spent time away from their families and friends over the holidays, so we could spend time with ours. We owe a debt of gratitude to all for their selflessness in serving our community.
As we enter 2023, there are some exciting infrastructure and mobility projects that will begin and have me excited. Our Engineering Department has done a great job of bringing creative options to problematic situations. Let me share some of these projects and their statuses with you:
The first is the Kinney and Remembrance intersection. We have looked at different options over the years. Many years ago, this was a terrible intersection that had six roads coming into it. There are now the usual four legs of roads coming in, yet it is still challenging for drivers’ visibility as well as pedestrians crossing the intersection. So, there will be improvements made to address both as well as new mast arm lighting.
The second one is the Bristol Railroad Bridge replacement and modernization project. At 100+ years in age, it has provided us with more issues than any of us can count. So, the design work is underway. What we will see is a new bridge that will not only allow multiple cars to simultaneously pass under it, but allow pedestrians to safely pass through as well.
Another area I am excited about is finally bringing a solution to the North Center Drive area, in front of the Greenridge Shopping Area on Alpine. Anyone who has ever traveled through there can say it has a lot of issues that need to be addressed. The creative (and I believe most viable) solution for all of us to safely travel through is a traffic circle, often referred to as a roundabout. That new intersection will be east of the Alpine and North Center Drive light. The current set-up and other options all have enough limitations, making this the best idea to keep traffic safely moving.
In short, we have these big projects and many others going on with some beginning this summer and others in 2024. Because of the scope of work that will be done, this will provide some travel detours when construction is underway. The other challenges we expect to face will be supply and labor availability for each of these projects. Short term pain during the projects will still bring long term gain with the improvements made.
Thank you for making the choice to call Walker home.
Mayor Gary Carey, Jr.
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