Council approves amendment to finish Western University Boulevard design

The Tuscaloosa City Council on an approved motion authorized an amendment to the city’s contract with design firm Duncan Coker to advance the Western University Boulevard corridor project from 50% to 100% design. A city staff member said the completed design will enable the city to prepare construction-ready drawings and include bid-phase and construction-phase services.

The project covers roughly a half-mile of University Boulevard from Queen City Avenue to the Wallace Wade area adjacent to the University of Alabama. Staff described elements included in the 100% design: raised intersections intended for traffic calming and to highlight pedestrian crossings, security bollards at high-traffic corners, and conversion of some overhead utilities to underground to avoid constrained right-of-way sections. “This amendment will go from 50% to a 100% for the design,” the city staff member said.

Council members pressed staff on specific locations for raised intersections; staff identified possible locations near Reid Street, Wing Street and 17th Avenue and said they had received resident feedback about a potential mid-block crossing near Audubon Place. Staff also said utility conversion through sections with stone walls and steep grades remains a major challenge and that final design will clarify where undergrounding and other adjustments are feasible.

Officials discussed whether to bundle two proposed subphases into a single bid or to proceed with separate contracts; staff said the 100% design will allow a cost-based decision on phasing. Staff gave a tentative schedule for finishing the design “somewhere in that vicinity” by the end of the calendar year.

Council members also discussed temporary traffic management during construction. Staff said the first full-lane closures for work along University Boulevard will occur on three consecutive nights, beginning Wednesday and running Wednesday–Friday evenings; closures were described as starting around 8 p.m. and reopening before 7 a.m. to avoid morning school traffic.

A motion to approve the amendment was made and seconded; the presiding official called the question and declared the motion passed. The transcript records the motion and the council’s approval; the vote tally was not recorded on the public record in the transcript excerpt provided.

Next steps include completing the 100% design, making a formal decision on phasing and, if appropriate, preparing the project for procurement and construction.