HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville council members voted Thursday for a contract that could lead to a new traffic signal where Stallworth Drive meets Memorial Parkway, beside the arena Alabama A&M uses for basketball.
The vote lets Mayor Tommy Battle sign a lump-sum deal worth roughly $55,000 with SAIN Associates, Inc. The firm will run a signal warrant analysis, which tests whether traffic at a crossing is heavy enough to justify a light, and then draw up a design if one is needed. Local city money covers the cost.
Crews will count turning movements for 14 hours between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on a typical weekday and combine those counts with an earlier traffic study. SAIN will also map the nearby junction where Stallworth Drive NW meets Gilbreath Road NW and the parkway, which is also U.S. Highway 231 North. A subconsultant, GTEC, is set to drill soil borings, and the firm will handle permit coordination with the Alabama Department of Transportation.
District 1 Councilwoman Michelle Watkins said the study moves the city closer to a longer Stallworth Drive that would reach Meridian Street, a project she tied to future development at Alabama A&M, including retail space.
The events center beside the intersection opened in 2022 and seats up to 6,000 people for basketball, and it also hosts graduation ceremonies for the university.
If the numbers support a light, the firm expects a mast arm setup without vehicle detection, and its plans would lay out the signal, the lane striping and how traffic is managed during work. SAIN has said it can deliver draft plans about two months after the contract is signed.
Design work is scheduled to wrap up by Feb. 5, 2027. The deal only takes effect once both sides sign and Huntsville sends out its formal go-ahead notice, and it lapses if that notice does not come within 60 days. Building a signal is not part of this contract; the city would have to bid and fund construction separately if the study shows one is warranted.
Section: More Huntsville AL crime news
Filed under: Huntsville AL Traffic News
