The design, engineering and right-of-way acquisitions have all been done. Now, the construction begins.
It’s a $14 million road improvement on one of Mobile’s busiest commercial and residential road sections. The “Dauphin Street Corridor” runs along Dauphin Street east and west of the intersection with Interstate 65.
The new improvements will run on Dauphin Street from Sage Avenue, east of I-65, to Rimes Road, west of I-65.
How will the two years of construction affect traffic? And what changes will there be when the project is finished in early 2028?
The answers to those questions and others will be provided to the public, businesses and news media in a community meeting. It will be held smack in the middle of the coming project in the largest building in the affected area – Dauphin Way Baptist Church.
The meeting is on Tuesday, January 20, at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the church.
The long-planned improvements and traffic safety enhancements will help reduce congestion on the busiest part of Dauphin Street.
City officials said the section of roadway is the city’s busiest commercial and residential corridors. They hope the improvements will reduce traffic collisions and improve access to Spring Hill Medical Center for first responders.
New fiber-connected, coordinated traffic signals will be installed and median modifications will provide controlled turning movements. The roadway will be resurfaced, new gutters will be installed and street lighting will be upgraded.
“Some nighttime work and temporary lane closures are anticipated; however, traffic will be able to flow through the area during the entirety of the project,” the city stated in a press release.
Federal transportation dollars, City of Mobile funds and Mobile County’s Pay-As-You-Go program money will be used for the improvements.
New Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis released this statement Tuesday:
We’re working to make a highly used section of Dauphin Street safer and more efficient! Through a partnership with the Alabama Department of Transportation, the city will soon be starting infrastructure improvements and traffic safety enhancements on the Dauphin Street corridor near Interstate 65. These changes will better coordinate traffic signals, streamline access to reduce congestion and collisions, and upgrade key infrastructure like streetlights, curbs, and gutters between Rimes Road and Sage Avenue. This will be an extensive project, but the good news is the implementation won’t require the roadway to be closed, though some temporary lane closures will be needed throughout the course of the project. If you’re interested in learning more, we’re going to be hosting a community meeting about the project with Council members Cory Penn and Beau Fleming on Tuesday, January 20, at Dauphin Way Baptist Church. We are looking forward to sharing more about the project and answering questions from the community. In the meantime, you can find more information at cityofmobile.org/dauphin-street-corridor-improvements/.
Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected]
