Birmingham’s Second Avenue South District Gets a Facelift, Improved Safety Measures

birminghamal.gov The district surrounding Second Avenue South has long been a popular gathering place because of its cluster of renowned restaurants, retail spaces, and the award-winning Pepper Place Farmer’s Market. But for pedestrians and bike riders, navigating the area was often a challenge. With the support of local businesses and leadership by Sloss Real Estate, the City of Birmingham has facilitated a $3.2 million road diet to the area that has transformed the streetscapes and sidewalks into a safe and more navigable space. “There is now more green space and more space dedicated to people and not cars,” said Christina Argo, deputy director of the Department of Transportation. This project is a part of the City of Birmingham’s Complete Streets initiative, a long-term effort to make areas across the city less car-dependent and more walkable and bikeable. The Second Avenue South area improvements, which stretch from 24th Street South to 32nd Street South, include 4,500 feet of street resurfacing, new sidewalks, drainage improvement and bike lanes. Work began last year and has included street striping and re-configuring the car travel lanes from four into two, which enabled the creation of bike lanes and the installation of enhanced sustainable plant beds....