Funds approved to acquire land for roundabout in Southeast Decatur
Mar. 21—The Decatur City Council this week approved allocating $300,000 to acquire easements and rights of way for six tracts of land in order to proceed with construction of a roundabout at Upper River Road's intersection with Indian Hills and Old River roads.
Decatur City Engineer Carl Prewitt said the city has not yet made offers to the landowners for the rights of way.
"With a roundabout it makes a big circle out there, so we're having to acquire some slivers of property from people to make that happen," he said. "We're going to offer them what the appraised value is, and then we'll negotiate from there. ... Typically, with my experience, they don't take the first offer you throw out there. We'll see what happens and go from there."
Prewitt said any amount more than the appraisal value will have to go before the City Council.
"They approved some money so I can make offers, and if (landowners) take it, I can pay them," he said.
Old River Road is slightly to the northwest of Indian Hills Road where they both intersect with Upper River Road. Prewitt said there are no plans to realign the roads.
"Basically, part of this roundabout is to get it all connected together," he said.
Carlton McMasters, whose District 3 includes the intersection, said the intersection has had issues for years.
He said a significant elevation change between Upper River Road and the two roads that intersect it is part of the problem.
"And with them both being out of alignment, a roundabout will kind of serve two functions. It will slow traffic coming from the east, and it will allow for safe passage onto or crossing Upper River from either Old River or Indian Hills Road," McMasters said.
There is no date set yet on when construction will begin, Prewitt said.
"We're going to wait on the acquisitions first," he said. "If we get the acquisitions done, then I'll start it as quick as I can."
Prewitt said construction should not take long once it begins.
"It's hard to say exactly, but I'm going to say probably somewhere in the six- to 12-month range; it's really going to depend on weather," he said.
The intersection will have to be closed during the construction, Prewitt said.
"I don't know that we can construct there without there being some detouring," he said. "There might be some legs of it we could keep open, but at times it'll be for the most part shut down."
McMasters said the estimated cost of the project when they did the preliminary design was about $1.5 million. He said they plan to use American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project. Federal ARPA funds were provided to governmental entities to aid in public health and economic recovery from COVID.
"Is it going to be entirely funded by ARPA? We won't know that till the bids come in," McMasters said. "That's our hope, of course."
—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.
