Red Bay to get new turn lane

By Staff
Jonathan Willis FCT Staff Writer
The drive to and from work soon may get much easier for several county residents.
The Alabama Department of Transportation announced plans Friday to place a stop light at the intersection of Highways 24 and 19 in Red Bay, with work on the project possibly beginning as early as Monday.
Tracking studies show that the intersection's high flow of traffic warrants that the light be placed in the area. The project will be state-funded.
The ongoing construction project that will eventually make Highway 24 a four-lane from Russellville made this an opportune time to place the stop lights, Morrow said.
The Highway 24 project will take travelers to an intersection down Highway 19, which will lead them back to the intersection where the light is being placed.
Workers will begin placing poles at the intersection on Monday if the weather permits. Plans call for a right turn lane to eventually be built onto Highway 19 from Red Bay.
City councilman Bobby Nelson said that he sees the need for the lights in the city.
With more than 1600 jobs and $52 million in payroll affected by the traffic flow in and out of Red Bay, officials said that completing the project will be key to the industrial development of the city.
Plans eventually call for a right turn lane to be built from Highway 19 onto Highway 24 East toward Russellville. Another scenario that could help industrial traffic flow is the possibility of building an access road from the intersection down to Golden Road.