Construction is set to begin on approximately 8,700 feet of new sidewalks and drainage improvements in Foley’s Mills Community.
The Foley City Council approved a bid from Trenchline Civil to construct the sidewalks and complete related drainage work. The project will extend from the site of the new Mills Community Park, which is also under construction.
Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the city and community members have worked for several years to move the park and sidewalk projects forward. The improvements will provide new pedestrian connections between the Mills Community and other areas of Foley.
“This is a project that will tie the Mills Community into the rest of Foley,” Hellmich said. “This will tie our community here into other areas of Foley with sidewalk and pedestrian ways to allow connectivity.”
The sidewalks will extend along Mills Road, Little Rock Road, Airport Road, Dailey Lane and Baldwin County 65.
The project will also address drainage needs in portions of the community where drainage infrastructure has historically been limited.
“Some of the older areas of Foley just don’t have drainage,” Hellmich said. “That is a comprehensive sidewalk drainage project where there has not been drainage before. It was a challenging project from the standpoint of lack of rights of way. Working with the Mills Community Action Group over the last two-and-a-half years, we’ve acquired all that.”
Trenchline Civil submitted the lowest of nine bids received for the project at approximately $1.62 million. The bid came in below the city’s engineering estimate of $2.37 million.
Construction is expected to begin within a month. The contractor will have 200 calendar days to complete the project.