Commission takes step on U.S. 411/Whorton Bend intersection project; work set next year

Greg Bailey, The Gadsden Times
·2 min read

There was some movement this week on the proposal announced last year to improve the intersection of U.S. Highway 411 (Rainbow Drive) and Whorton Bend Road.

The Etowah County Commission on Tuesday approved an agreement to relocate utilities at the site of the county’s first ATRIP II project.

An ATRIP II project at the intersection of Rainbow Drive and Whorton Bend Road will extend the turn lane for drivers turning from Rainbow Drive onto Whorton Bend and add right and left turn lanes from Whorton Bend onto Rainbow Drive.
An ATRIP II project at the intersection of Rainbow Drive and Whorton Bend Road will extend the turn lane for drivers turning from Rainbow Drive onto Whorton Bend and add right and left turn lanes from Whorton Bend onto Rainbow Drive.

Commission Chairman Craig Inzer Jr. said the Alabama Department of Transportation has indicated that bids will soon be let, but that work is unlikely to begin before 2024. The project is expected to require about 50 working days.

He called this an attempt “to get ahead of the game,” because it generally takes a while to order new power poles.

The project will create dedicated left and right turn lanes from Whorton Bend Road onto U.S. 411 and extend the turn lane for drivers seeking to go left from U.S. 411 onto Whorton Bend.

Traffic backups are common during morning rush hour for drivers from Whorton Bend and Southside seeking to turn right onto U.S. 411. When the situation is reversed in the evenings, the current left turn lane on U.S. 411 has the capacity for just a few vehicles, also contributing to backups.

Traffic light upgrades also are planned. The project’s total cost when announced in January 2022 was estimated at $621,172, with the ATRIP II grant providing $545,289 and the county matching the rest.

Some of the median in front of Peppermint Pony and Don Bigotes will be removed to extend the turn lane, Inzer said.

He also warned drivers that a popular shortcut to avoid being held up at the intersection — cutting right through the parking lot of the Shell station at Whorton Bend and U.S. 411 — is going away, as that entrance will be blocked by a median.

“Not only is this going to benefit Whorton Bend,” said County Engineer Robert Nail, who teamed with Inzer to prepare the ATRIP II grant application, “it’s also going to benefit Rainbow City and Gadsden. It’s going to help the traffic flow through that intersection smoother.”

The commission recognized the Gadsden Burners track club, who will send multiple qualifiers to the AAU Junior Olympics July 26-Aug. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa, after qualifying in the regional round held in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Club founder Jhedrion Rigby brought some of those athletes — weighted down with medals — to the meeting to help raise awareness of the club and to seek support for their trip.

Also, commissioners heard from Downtown Gadsden Inc. Director Kay Moore and Gadsden State art instructor and Walnut Gallery owner Mario Gallardo who are seeking support in placing artwork in the courthouse area, to go with pieces already scattered through or planned for downtown.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Etowah County Commission takes action on intersection upgrade