By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A potentially hazardous portion of Alabaster Boulevard soon will see some “much-needed” repairs after the Alabaster City Council agreed to approve $49,975 for the project during an Oct. 26 meeting.

The council voted unanimously during the meeting to approve the use of restricted gas tax funds on the project, which will fill and repair a sagging portion of the road between Candlewood Suites and Westwood Baptist Church.

Over the past several years, portions of the roadway, which serves as a connection between the Propst Promenade shopping center and the Weatherly and Ballantrae subdivisions, have become significantly worn to the point of becoming a safety hazard, said Ward 1 Councilwoman Sophie Martin.

The $49,975 project represents a portion of a larger repair project on the road, which was bid out last spring. The restricted gas tax funds will come out of the city’s 2016 fiscal year budget.

“Thank you to my fellow City Council members for supporting this, and than you (City Manager) George (Henry) for doing all the homework on this,” Martin said. “I think we all agree this has needed to be done for quite a while.”

An engineering study revealed Alabaster Boulevard was in overall “poor” condition, Alabaster City Engineer Brett Tucker told council members in July 2014. Over the past several years, poor road base and fill materials under the roadway have caused parts of Alabaster Boulevard to develop humps and “places where the pavement is graveling out,” Tucker said.

Martin said the city has been working on solutions to repair the road for the past few months.

“We wanted it to be done right while being good stewards of taxpayer money, and we wanted it to be done with as little disruption as possible,” Martin said. “(Alabaster Boulevard) is used by a lot of people every day. I look forward to seeing this project completed.”