A long-awaited change on Bynum-Leatherwood Road is expected to help motorists handle the traffic generated by comings and goings at Anniston Army Depot.
A roundabout, which absorbs a high traffic count better than a 4-way intersection does, will be installed at the intersection with the Old Gadsden Highway.
“There is congestion there during rush hour, and this will help eliminate cars backing up,” said county highway department engineer Rodney McCain. At the Aug. 11 Calhoun County Commission meeting, McCain told the commissioners a roundabout would better handle heavy depot traffic.
“During peak hours,” McCain added, “traffic will back up from cars trying to turn left using Old Gadsden Highway as an access point to Highway 431. This will allow for consistent traffic without drivers having to wait on a signal or for the traffic to clear at the intersection.”
The cost of the roundabout is expected to be about $1.4-$1.5 million. Eighty percent of the funds will come from the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and money from the county’s Rebuild Alabama funds will provide the 20 percent match.
“Hopefully, the cost we are figuring is high,” McCain said.
Construction is planned to start early in 2023 and will take between five to six months to complete if all goes well.
The roundabout is in commissioner J.D. Hess’s District Four.
“It is, in our engineer’s opinion, a way to better move traffic from the depot,” Hess said. “There will take some ‘getting-used-to,’ including for me, but, at the end of the day, it will be good.”
