Work starts on $3.5 million alley initiative in Dougherty County – The Albany Herald

ALBANY Dougherty Countys alley paving initiative got off the ground this week with a groundbreaking at the intersection of Regina and Red Bud lanes.

That first alley on the list, Poinciana, is located near Radium Springs Elementary School. The Radium Springs area was selected because a group of residents brought their concerns to the Dougherty County Commission in 2017. The residents expressed concerns that alleys in the neighborhood were both a driving hazard and a health hazard, and they presented photos showing large pools of water standing in alleyways behind residences.

This has been a concern for both myself and these residents for some time, District 2 Commissioner Victor Edwards, who appeared with the delegation at the 2017 meeting prior to his election to the board. We are excited to see this project being started, and I know it will improve the life of our residents for years to come.

Edwards lives in the neighborhood where the first project is under way.

The alley-paving projects will be paid for using funds from the transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax approved last year by county voters. The T-SPLOST funds can be used for transportation projects that include roads, streets, road striping and sidewalks.

The penny sales tax is expected to raise $26.4 million over five years. The county plans to use $10 million for road improvements, $7 million for special-purpose trails, $3 million for intersection improvements and $1.4 million for sidewalks. The allocation for alleys totals $3.5 million.

District 6 Commissioner Anthony Jones, who was a proponent of the project when it was brought to the boards attention in 2017, said his constituents in the bordering district also will benefit.

Its exciting to see this project coming to life for these residents, he said. This will provide a safer and healthier pathway in and out of driveways for our residents, and we are thankful that T-SPLOST dollars were approved to make this happen.

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Work starts on $3.5 million alley initiative in Dougherty County - The Albany Herald