The Auburn Public Works Department will soon be submitting a grant to the Alabama Department of Transportation for more than a mile of new sidewalk along Moores Mill Road. The project is part of a greater effort on the part of the city to improve walkability.
The new sidewalk would stretch along the west side of Moores Mill Road from the intersection of East University Drive north to Samford Avenue. The new sidewalk will connect existing sidewalks in the Grove Hill area with the downtown area.
"We'll have sidewalks, when we get through, basically all the way from Ogletree Road back to Samford," said Jeffery Ramsey, director of public works. "We feel like it's a good project that the city needs. We've gotten a petition from the area to put in a sidewalk."
Ward 5 Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine said constituents who have been contacting her since the project was announced have been mostly positive.
"One of my constituents emailed me and told me that she had been wanting this project for years," Tremaine said. "She said she walks on Moores Mill Road every day. Walking that area without a sidewalk is dangerous."
According to Ramsey and Tremaine, the main concern from those opposing the new sidewalk relates to construction inconvenience.
"I've heard from others who don't want it," Tremaine said. "The main question I've gotten is how much of the property will be taken up off of the right of way into people's yards — how close it will be to people's porches."
Plans for the construction of the new sidewalk are not yet final. Financing the project is dependent on the support of an ALDOT grant. The total cost of the project is more than $650,000, according to Ramsey.
The city is applying for a grant that will support 80 percent of the cost of a new sidewalk for the community — the city will pay the remaining 20 percent of the cost out of its general fund. The grant has a cap of $400,000.
Students walking along Moores Mill Road to Auburn Junior High School and Dean Road Elementary School were one of the main reasons the city decided to pursue the project, according to Ramsey.
"We think it certainly is a quality of life issue," Ramsey said. "This is something the city has been doing over the last 10 years. We've built a lot of sidewalks in the community. People enjoy getting out and walking, and providing them a safe place to do that is a goal for the city."
One of the main tenants of Auburn's Downtown Master Plan is walkability. The plan seeks to create a "walkable, attractive and safe" city center. According to Tremaine, connecting the Grove Hill and Moores Mill neighborhoods with downtown is important.
"We're trying to provide opportunities [for people to walk or bike], whether that's through more sidewalks, bike lanes, bike paths, and we're looking into a greenway along Sougahatchee Creek," Ramsey said.
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