The Latest On Northport's Proposed Northern Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

NORTHPORT, AL — City of Northport officials are wrapping up gathering community feedback for the city's proposed Northern Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which aims to better connect a rapidly-developing swath in the northern part of the city.

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Patch reported earlier this month when the plan was introduced, with designs calling for approximately four miles of 12-foot wide shared use path along the northern corridor of the City of Northport. The paths would also be complimented by state-of-the-art LED lighting to improve visibility and safety for those walking, running or biking.

The project will be focused on two main "areas," with the first beginning at the intersection of Frankie Thomas Trace and Rose Boulevard, following parallel to Rose Boulevard, Wildcat Drive, a future access road across the Sullivan property, U.S. Highway 43, and Mitt Lary Road to the intersection of Huntington Place Avenue and Mitt Lary Road.

The second area, according to the proposed master plan, would begin at the intersection of Huntington Place Avenue and Mitt Lary Road, following parallel to Mitt Lary Road and Alabama Highway 69 to the Forest Glen subdivision.

Click here to view the full proposal on the City of Northport's website.

Northport City Engineer Tera Tubbs told Patch that the Council will soon take up the proposed plan, before it will then go to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for approval. The federal government mandates that every metropolitan statistical area with a population of 50,000 or greater have an MPO.

The next step, and likely biggest hurdle, will be funding the costly endeavor.

TTL, Inc. — the Tuscaloosa-based engineering firm handling the project — speculates the total cost for the Northern Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan to come out to a little more than $14 million, with the paths themselves coming in at $4 million.

Tubbs then said the project's funding would be primarily dependent on what grants are available when the city has the green light to move forward.

And while some areas not included on the proposed master plan expressed an interest in being included, such as the Grand Pointe subdivision, Tubbs then said she expected the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to also want to provide its input as well.

"I have sent it to them and offered to sit down and discuss it," Tubbs said. " I think what we're trying to show here is the number of subdivisions. It's amazing how many different communities can be connected."

TTL Vice President Frank Summers explained the "areas of influence" for the project, which will impact over 3,000 individual parcels of land

"It's kind of unique because there are four schools and I don't know how many established subdivisions," Summer told Patch Tuesday evening, standing over one of several identical maps spread out on tables in City Hall. "There's also shopping centers and you start tying all these commercial and retail offerings together and you start to get something that's kind of an anchor. This one, four-mile connection, a backbone, really ties together the community."

Indeed, the area in the northern part of Northport being considered would include Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport Elementary, Huntington Place Elementary and the new $24 million Northport Intermediate School.

While unable to accurately speculate just what the economic impact would be on property values for homeowners in the area, the plan's designers did say they believe residents, in general, would consider such an offering a benefit.

"You've got some of your naysayers, but most of the comments I've gotten have been extremely positive," District 4 Councilwoman Jamie Dykes told Patch during the community interest meeting. "Kids riding bikes to school. When you've got it all here, the kids would never have to leave this area — from kindergarten through 12th grade. "

Northport Council President Jeff Hogg also said the project is warranted and had received strong positive feedback from the nearby neighborhoods.

"[The Northern Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan] can be a catalyst for what’s to come in the future," Hogg said. "As for funding, this will be a collaborative effort which will enable the City of Northport to leverage federal and state funds dedicated for projects like this for the area. By having this approach, we preserve a majority of our city municipal funds for other needs throughout the city ... In the end, the City of Northport and our residents win."

While securing the funding will provide its own set of challenges, Tubbs pointed out that another daunting challenge will likely come in the form of expenses for the project — a burden that is no doubt being felt in similar-sized cities across America faced with rising costs of building materials.

That's not to say the city hasn't fine-tuned its approach to the way it does business, though.

"Typically, we would just give a contractor 'Notice to Proceed' and let them run," Tubbs said. "So now, we're not doing that. We're actually giving them a 'Notice of Award,' so they know they're getting the project. Then, we're letting them have whatever lead time they need, so it doesn't count toward their days in the contract, and once they receive their materials, they can go on."

Tubbs went on to say the hope is for the proposed plan to receive the support of the full Council at its earliest convenience, before aiming to have it considered by the MPO in April.

She then informed the council members in attendance at the public meeting that she would have the feedback and proposal ready for them to receive at the next regular council meeting on Monday, Feb. 21.

There's also other plans in the works for similar efforts around the city, including downtown Northport and along the northern bank of the Black Warrior River.

Tubbs explained that this "second phase" of the Pedestrian Path plan would run from the Levee Trailhead, running east back to Kentuck Park, in addition to a path along the river to the south, then up to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Piggly Wiggly.

District 2 Councilman Woodrow Washington III said the proposal, in addition to the recently-approved citywide LED streetlight initiative, would no doubt improve the quality of life for residents in his district.

"It's been a long time that it's been needed," Washington told Patch. "Unsafe roads, kids riding bikes along the road ... It'll give us an opportunity to go from one point to the other, where people can walk and enjoy themselves and be safe. The LED lighting is going to be real big, too, and we're going to be looking at areas that need upgrades we can improve."

Comments, questions or other feedback on the Northern Pedestrian Path project must be submitted in writing at the event or via email to nboyd@cityofnorthport.org no later the Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, at 5. p.m.

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