The city of Gadsden is preparing to remove traffic lights on two downtown streets.
The traffic lights on Broad and Chestnut streets from First to Seventh streets will be converted into four-way stops, with the exception of the intersection at First and Broad streets by the Memorial Bridge.
In addition to the change, the city will slightly raise the crosswalks to make pedestrians more visible to drivers and slow traffic, according to Heath Williamson, the city’s director of engineering.
“I think that anything that slows traffic down on this street is a good idea,” Reannon Doring, an employee who works at The Taming of the Ewe on Broad Street, said. “There’s a lot of pedestrian traffic, there’s a lot of kids, and the cars fly up and down this road. I think it’s a miracle someone hasn’t been killed yet.”
The project will be completed in phases, starting with raising the crosswalks by the cultural arts center and the Episcopal Day School. Williamson said he wants to put off shutting down the blocks until after the holiday season.
Kirsten Tuck, an employee at Jireh’s Boutique, is concerned about the implementation of the change.
“I know we need change, and… I’m for the change, but just with the traffic lights downtown, I can’t see it,” Tuck said.
A few months ago, Tuck said she witnessed a hit-and-run from the shop’s window at the intersection of Sixth and Broad streets. She worries that the stop sign change and the street parking will increase these incidents.
“Especially when you’re in a rush, that’s my thing,” Tuck said. “When you’re in a rush and your mind is not really focused on the four-way stop. It’s going to be so many accidents… We already can’t drive with the lights.”
To make sure everyone knows what is going on, Williamson said “stop” will be painted on the ground in front of the signs, along with additional precautions.
“We’ll flash all of the signals for about 30 days red on each side,” Williamson said. “Just so you’ll know, ‘Hey, there’s a change here.’”
The change will take place in sequences, so no one is surprised, he said.
Gadsden’s engineering department worked with Three Notch Group, a consulting firm, on the initial traffic study, where they created a model of both the existing intersections and proposed four-way stops, according to Williamson. He said the study, which included 14 intersections, cost a total of $78,000 and concluded that the change was an improvement from the existing system.
The current system includes lights, which are not fitted with vehicle detection sensors that adjust for cars pulling up to a red light. This creates “wasted time” for drivers, according to Williamson. He said the change will allow drivers to navigate the corridor faster, while slowing down traffic and increasing safety.
The brunt of the work will begin after the first of the year and will only take two months at most to be completed, Williamson said. The intent is to “get in and get out,” closing one block at a time so the company can work faster, he said.
Specialty signage, which will match the existing downtown decor, must be ordered for the project, Williamson said, adding that this also affects when the project will begin. He estimates it will take from mid to late November for the materials to arrive.
“We’re not putting in standard signposts,” Williamson said. “They’ll be decorative posts that are certainly more aesthetic for the downtown area.”
This will complete the downtown improvement project, which started in 2022, funded by the Alabama Department of Transportation through the Transportation Alternatives Program, according to Williamson. The city received the grant in 2022, 2024 and 2026.
The council awarded the project bid to the lowest bidder, Bob Smith Construction Company, who has worked on projects such as the Gadsden Sports Park and the waterfront walking path along the Coosa River.
The budgeted cost of the project is $869,735.50, nearly half of the $1.4 million quoted in other bids submitted to the city.
