One of Mobile’s most frustrating commuter corridors is due for a major overhaul. City engineers have unveiled a plan to widen McGregor Avenue from two to three lanes and install a roundabout at its congested intersection with Dauphin Street, easing the daily squeeze between Dauphin Street and Airport Boulevard.
City Engineer Nick Amberger said the design directly targets a bottleneck drivers know well.
“It’s very heavy traffic movement between Dauphin Street and McGregor hitting Airport Boulevard,” Amberger said. “All the designs in the study show that the roundabout should ease up the traffic there.”
Federal dollars cover most of the bill
The project carries an estimated price tag of $8 million to $10 million, and the city is leaning on outside funding to get it built. The Metropolitan Planning Organization requested federal transportation money administered by the Alabama Department of Transportation, which will cover roughly 80 percent of the cost, leaving the city to fund the remaining 20 percent, according to ALDOT’s James Gordon.
A long construction window ahead
According to Amberger, the project is fully designed and construction is expected to last about 18 months once work begins. Portions of McGregor Avenue will close during construction, and drivers will be steered by posted detour signs.
Reaction among commuters has been mixed but largely hopeful. Some residents welcomed any relief for morning backups along Airport Boulevard, while others argued that added lanes alone won’t solve congestion on a corridor this busy.