By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A developer looking to build a new apartment complex on Huntley Parkway in Pelham said adding an additional turn lane from Shelby County 52 to Interstate 65 will “definitely” help rush hour traffic congestion on the road.

During an Oct. 15 Pelham City Council meeting, representatives from C&A Enterprises presented an update on a traffic study of the area, and said adding a second right-hand turn lane leading from Shelby County 52 west onto I-65 north will help with morning traffic backups along Shelby County 52 and Huntley Parkway.

C&A Enterprises Charlie Beavers told council members the company recently presented two proposals to the Shelby County Highway Department and the Alabama Department of Transportation aimed at cutting down on the traffic congestion. He said both agencies “preferred” the additional turn lane plan over a proposal to modify the existing lanes at the Shelby County 52-Interstate 65 intersection.

“If this (new turn lane) is implemented and the timing on the traffic lights is changed, I asked the question ‘Is the traffic situation going to be better than it is?’” Beavers said. “The answer was a definite yes.”

The work session came about a month after the council agreed to table a decision to rezone vacant property on Huntley Parkway to accommodate a new 228-unit apartment complex. Council members previously said they tabled the decision to allow the developer more time to study the apartment complex’s potential impact on traffic.

During an August public hearing on the proposed development, several Pelham residents said they were concerned the apartment complex would worsen already heavy morning traffic congestion traveling onto I-65 north.

Beavers and C&A Enterprises representative Aubrey Long said, if constructed, the new turn lane would be about 650 feet long, and would be between Shelby County 35 and I-65.

There currently is only one right-hand turn lane from Shelby County 52 onto I-65.

Councilman Ron Scott said the city should work with ALDOT and the county Highway Department to make the new turn lane a reality.

“I don’t want to see this developer continue to expend funds when it’s a city project,” Scott said. “It’s time for us to step in and build a fire beneath the state and county folks to get this done.”