City Opens First Phase of New Downtown Roadway – Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard
Published on April 22, 2016
The first phase of downtown Huntsville’s newest gateway is open. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, a newly constructed four-lane roadway, is now complete from Governor’s Drive to Pelham Avenue. When phase two is finished later this year, the nearly half-mile road will terminate at Williams Avenue in Big Spring Park.
The four-lane boulevard is designed to offer a dramatic and beautiful new entrance into the heart of downtown. It includes decorative lighting and landscaping, and supports bicyclists and pedestrians with 10-foot multiuse paths on each side.
“This is the type of road we like to see in Huntsville; one that is tree-lined and beautiful, and accommodates motorists, cyclists and pedestrians,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “It provides a signature gateway into our downtown, and it is an honor to name the boulevard after one of Huntsville’s and the country’s greatest civil rights leaders.”
City Council Member Dr. Richard Showers said Dr. Joseph Lowery, a Huntsville native and Civil Rights icon, is well deserving of this recognition. “We are proud to honor his lifetime of work by dedicating this major gateway into the heart of our downtown after his namesake,” said Dr. Showers. “It is fitting that Lowery Road passes closely by William Hooper Councill, where Dr. Lowery attended school.”
Along with the new north-south connection into downtown, the City is also constructing a new east-west connector via Pelham Avenue and Davis Circle. This provides additional connectivity to the Monroe Street round-about adjacent to the Huntsville Madison County Public Library. This segment is expected to be complete this summer.
Most exciting for residents are new plans to build a greenway along Fagan Creek. City engineers revised the roadway plans to enclose the existing Fagan Creek channel in a “box culvert.” Bids on the project will be awarded next month and construction is expected to begin by June. Once enclosed, a new multiuse path will be constructed to connect Lowery Boulevard to Monroe Street.
“By enclosing Fagan Creek from Lowery Boulevard to Monroe, we have created greater connectivity in the downtown area,” said Shane Davis, Director of Urban Development. “At some point in the future, we would also like to look at extending the greenway from Lowery Boulevard east to California Street.”