Airing of the grievances is tradition on the made-up holiday, “Festivus,” created by the TV show Seinfeld in 1997.
But on any day outside the Chick-fil-A in Daphne, you don’t have to go far to hear the grumbling from those who flock to a congested drive-thru daily for their chicken sandwiches.
“Horrible” and “dangerous” were words that described the traffic pattern in and around the eatery during the lunch hour on Thursday, two days before Christmas as shoppers also flocked to a nearby Target store.
“It’s one of the best Chick-fil-A’s that is not on an interstate,” Daphne Mayor Robin LeJeune said. “It’s a huge success. But our concerns are getting people in and out safely.”
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The city and the Alabama Department of Transportation, guided by the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), are moving forward on a $2.3 million project that will create a new interchange into the Target parking lot and eliminate a dangerous access road onto U.S. 98 from Chick-fil-A.
A small step was taken on Monday when the Daphne City Council approved a property swap agreement with Target. The city, as part of a land exchange agreement, will obtain a section of Target’s property so it can move ahead with the project. In return, the city gave Target a piece of property so the company can install a new sign along U.S. 98.
The overall goal is to move ahead with a project that could save lives by preventing traffic on U.S. 98.
“That’s a very dangerous strip of roadway along Highway 98, with a lot of traffic movements, crisscrossing of the roads coming onto the highway and … because of the various businesses in that area, the city and ALDOT are enacting an access management plan to allow for safer traffic movements along the corridor,” said Troy Strunk, director of city development with the city of Daphne.
The focus in a short, but heavily traveled section of U.S. 98 from Baldwin County Route 64/Daphne Avenue to Van Avenue near Terry Thompson Chevrolet. Close to 35,000 vehicles travel along Route 98 near the busy Route 64 intersection where Target is located.
The project’s main features include:
- The creation of a new signalized interchange at Lavender Lane, which leads motorists to the Daphne police headquarters and municipal court.
- A new road will be created off Lavender Lane leading motorists to Target and a series of businesses including Wacky Shrimp and Chick-fil-A. That road will snake behind the two eateries. Strunk said the road will create a “full movement intersection for Target.”
- The current access onto U.S. 98 from Target and Chick-fil-A will only allow for northbound travel and will end the dangerous southbound option toward Fairhope that city officials blame for traffic crashes that occur along U.S. 98.
A Google map snapshot of the area that will be included in an estimated $2.3 million project to improve access into and out of a shopping center in Daphne, Ala., that includes a Target and a popular Chick-fil-A. (Google maps)
“We’ve seen fatalities,” LeJeune said. “This will make access to the current Chick-fil-A a right-in and right-out only. You won’t be able to turn left onto (U.S.) 98 anymore. You will have to go to the light.”
The project is included in the MPO’s fiscal year 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program or TIP – the short-term planning document for the organization. Placing a project into an MPO’s TIP makes it eligible for federal transportation money and elevates it as a priority for regional planners and politicians.
The “local match” for the project is $466,160, of which $450,000 has been dedicated by ALDOT to Daphne for its construction.
Strunk said he’s unsure on a timeline. He said the final engineering drawings are being crafted and submitted to ALDOT for review. It could be more than six months before the project’s bids are awarded to a contractor, with construction beginning in the fall 2022.
The entire project would then be completed in 2023.
That means, at least one more Festivus to air those traffic grievances while trying to access the Chick-fil-A drive-thru.
“We’ve had issues there with the amount of traffic and growth we’ve seen as a city,” said LeJeune, referring to Daphne’s 27% growth between the 2010 and 2020 U.S. Census counts. “ALDOT has seen the same issues. We’re trying to address it.”
