Cahaba Road: Difference between revisions

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South of [[Shades Creek Parkway]]/[[Mountain Brook Parkway]], south bound traffic can only access the [[Shades Brook Building]]. However, there is an exit from [[U.S. Highway 280]] that leads north bound traffic past the Shades Brook Building and on to Cahaba Road.
South of [[Shades Creek Parkway]]/[[Mountain Brook Parkway]], south bound traffic can only access the [[Shades Brook Building]]. However, there is an exit from [[U.S. Highway 280]] that leads north bound traffic past the Shades Brook Building and on to Cahaba Road.


In [[2015]] the section of Cahaba Road in Birmingham bordering the Zoo and [[Birmingham Botanical Gardens]] was narrowed to two (wider) lanes to make way for sidewalks. The turn lane was replaced with a roundabout at the zoo entrance and a new pedestrian gate for the Botanical Gardens. The changes were planned by landscape architect [[Nimrod Long]] to calm traffic, which had a tendency to speed through that section, to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and to upgrade the landscaping. The project was financed by the City of Birmingham, partly through a federal SAFETEA grant, and contracted through the [[Alabama Department of Transportation]].
In [[2015]] the section of Cahaba Road in Birmingham bordering the Zoo and [[Birmingham Botanical Gardens]] was narrowed to two (wider) lanes to make way for sidewalks. The turn lane was replaced with a roundabout at the zoo entrance and a new pedestrian gate for the Botanical Gardens. The changes were planned by landscape architect [[Nimrod Long]] to calm traffic, which had a tendency to speed through that section, to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and to upgrade the landscaping. The project was financed by the City of Birmingham, partly through a federal SAFETEA grant, and contracted through the [[Alabama Department of Transportation]] (ALDOT).
 
In [[2024]] ALDOT announced a project to replace the intersection of Cahaba Road with [[Chester Road]] and [[Lane Park Road]] at the [[U.S. Highway 280]] off-ramp with a pair of roundabouts. Federal funding would cover 80% of the $4.5 million project, with Mountain Brook and Birmingham splitting the difference. A corner of [[Lane Park]] was ceded to the state to allow for the reorientation of the intersection. Work was expected to be complete in 10–12 months.


== Notable locations ==
== Notable locations ==
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* "Shades Valley Six Minutes Nearer City" (November 1927) ''[[Jemison Magazine]]'', p. 6
* "Shades Valley Six Minutes Nearer City" (November 1927) ''[[Jemison Magazine]]'', p. 6
* Rodriguez, Ana (June 23, 2015) "Birmingham Zoo, Botanical Gardens to unveil Cahaba Road improvements July 1." {{BN}}
* Rodriguez, Ana (June 23, 2015) "Birmingham Zoo, Botanical Gardens to unveil Cahaba Road improvements July 1." {{BN}}
* Dyos, Stuart (July 3, 2024) "Multimillion-dollar roundabouts planned for chaotic roadway off U.S. 280." {{BBJ}}


[[Category:Cahaba Road|*]]
[[Category:Cahaba Road|*]]

Latest revision as of 15:32, 3 July 2024

Cahaba Road (formerly Cahaba River Road) is an approximately two-mile long, predominantly north-south road connecting Key Circle on the crest of Red Mountain in Birmingham to Shades Creek Parkway/Mountain Brook Parkway in Mountain Brook. It passes through both English Village and Mountain Brook Village and is the location of the main entrance to the Birmingham Zoo.

Cahaba Road was created before 1900. In 1927, the Jemison Company paved the road, providing smoother and faster access to their Mountain Brook Estates subdivision from Birmingham. For a long time, the part of the road going through English Village was known as 24th Street or 24th Street Road. In the mid-20th Century, prior to the construction of the current U.S. Highway 280, the road was part of the Florida Short Route.

The addresses from 1600 to 1643 Cahaba Road are part of the Red Mountain Suburbs Historic District.

In Mountain Brook Village, Cahaba Road converges with Montevallo and Canterbury Roads as a five-way intersection. However, an access road rings this intersection, setting the Mountain Brook Estates building, which is between Montevallo and Canterbury, back far enough to have some storefronts facing Cahaba.

South of Shades Creek Parkway/Mountain Brook Parkway, south bound traffic can only access the Shades Brook Building. However, there is an exit from U.S. Highway 280 that leads north bound traffic past the Shades Brook Building and on to Cahaba Road.

In 2015 the section of Cahaba Road in Birmingham bordering the Zoo and Birmingham Botanical Gardens was narrowed to two (wider) lanes to make way for sidewalks. The turn lane was replaced with a roundabout at the zoo entrance and a new pedestrian gate for the Botanical Gardens. The changes were planned by landscape architect Nimrod Long to calm traffic, which had a tendency to speed through that section, to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and to upgrade the landscaping. The project was financed by the City of Birmingham, partly through a federal SAFETEA grant, and contracted through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).

In 2024 ALDOT announced a project to replace the intersection of Cahaba Road with Chester Road and Lane Park Road at the U.S. Highway 280 off-ramp with a pair of roundabouts. Federal funding would cover 80% of the $4.5 million project, with Mountain Brook and Birmingham splitting the difference. A corner of Lane Park was ceded to the state to allow for the reorientation of the intersection. Work was expected to be complete in 10–12 months.

Notable locations

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the Cahaba Road category.

References

  • "Shades Valley Six Minutes Nearer City" (November 1927) Jemison Magazine, p. 6
  • Rodriguez, Ana (June 23, 2015) "Birmingham Zoo, Botanical Gardens to unveil Cahaba Road improvements July 1." The Birmingham News
  • Dyos, Stuart (July 3, 2024) "Multimillion-dollar roundabouts planned for chaotic roadway off U.S. 280." Birmingham Business Journal
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