By NOAH WORTHAM | Senior Editor

ALABASTER – The Alabaster City Council has approved a services contract with Sain and Associates, Inc. to provide surveying and design work for the improvement of Kent Dairy Road.

The city plans to make improvements at the intersection of Highway 119 and Kent Dairy Road after receiving the results of a traffic operations study in May 2024.

“For many residents of Ward 5, for many residents of Alabaster, this is sometimes a difficult intersection to navigate,” said Jamie Cole, Alabaster City Councilor for Ward 5. “We’ll be looking at this over the next few years and it’s not in the budget yet, but this is the beginning of the surveying and planning work for this project so we can get it ready when the funds are available.”

Improvements the city is interested in making include re-striking the intersection, widening Kent Dairy Road to create dedicated eastbound drive-through and left-turn lanes, converting the Central State Bank access on Kent Dairy Road to a right-entry/right-exit, and modifications to the existing traffic signal, including an upgrade to signal poles.

A full breakdown of the project includes the following, with a total budget of $135,545:

• Topographic survey – lump sum $24,000
• Road plans – lump sum $39,000
• Traffic signal modification plans – lump sum $17,500
• Drainage – Lump sum $5,000
• Care Coordination – Lump Sum $7,000
• Approvals, meetings and coordination – flat fee of USD 12,000
• Geotechnical survey – flat fee $12,495
• Contract documents, advertising and tendering – lump sum USD 8,500
• Construction Management – ​​hourly with a maximum budget of $10,050

Due to the need for improvements, the Alabaster City Council unanimously approved a contract with the engineering firm of Sain and Associates, Inc. for professional services for the surveying and design of Kent Dairy Road in a value not to exceed $135,545.

“You’ll see us continue to move projects forward as far as engineering and preparation goes, but that doesn’t mean we can even come close to affording this project,” Alabaster Mayor Scott Brakefield said during the pre-meeting. “We just want to get the engineering and research done — have everything planned out, ready to go in the future, where money is available, (we can move forward).”