Northport approves road improvement agreement

Northport is already filled with orange barrels and traffic cones, but more are coming. Next in line for improvements? The intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Snows Mill Avenue, where MLK Boulevard turns into Watermelon Road.

On Monday, the Northport City Council gave permission to City Administrator Glenda Webb so she could sign off on an agreement to a contract with Thompson Engineering.

This project is being paid for by Northport and Tuscaloosa, and Thompson Engineering was hired as a consultant. The company is known for planning, designing and construction for major transportation, economic development and waterfront projects.

Northport City Engineer Tera Tubbs on Monday said the agreement needed updating because of a contract change allowing Thompson Engineering to figure out where utilities could be moved.

“We have to have additional right-of-way and our utilities need to be moved out of the road so that we can access them at a later time,” Tubbs said. “So this is just a process that we are going through to have a completed version of the project.”

Improvements coming include sidewalks and improved utilities at the intersection.