The Tucker City Council unanimously approved three contracts at its June 26 meeting to make safety improvements on Fellowship Road and build trails and sidewalks on Hugh Howell Road.

The council awarded a $239,000 contract to R&B Construction to reduce the northbound lanes on Fellowship Road between the CSX Railroad Bridge to Lavista from two to one, restripe the northbound lane to allow for a left-turn lane from Fellowship onto Lavista, and install two landscaped islands.

In addition, the improvements will include the installation of a signalized pedestrian crossing south of the First Avenue intersection, and prohibit left turns at the Second Street intersection.

Councilwoman Alexis Weaver thanked the city for funding the improvements.

“Super, super excited. I think I have heard more about this intersection than anything else,” Weaver said. “One of the things that I really appreciate about this is that you gave consideration to this because we have given you a lot of feedback on District 3 improvements.”

She also said the new crosswalk will be greatly appreciated by neighbors who want to walk to downtown Tucker rather than drive.

Tucker City Engineer Ken Hildebrandt said the project will take about a month, and is expcected to be complete by fall.

The council also awarded a $1.02 million contract to 9 Yards Infrastructure to continue the second phase of the Hugh Howell Trail. 9 Yards Infrastructure was the lowest of the 14 bids submitted, Tucker Engineer Jack Smith said.

The concrete trail will be 10 feet wide with a five-foot grass strip, according to documents included in the council’s information packet. 

The trail will consist of two segments: a 750-foot segment in front of the Crespac, Inc. packaging facility, and a 1,900-foot section that extends the existing trail at Marthasville Court to Stratmor Drive.

Finally, Azimuth Contractors was given a $360,000 contract to build a sidewalk on the north side of Hugh Howell Road from Lawrenceville Highway to Mountain Industrial Boulevard. 

The sidewalk will be widened to 10 feet from Tucker Industrial to Mountain Industrial as it joins the trail network. Hildebrandt said 15 bids were received for the project.

All three projects are being funded using 2024 capital improvement monies, Hildebrandt said.

In other action, the council listened to a presentation by TSW on developing signage standards for the city’s wayfinding and public spaces. There will be three opportunities for the public to offer input: in-person at a kick-off meeting on July 17, Aug. 2 at the First Friday Concert, and an online survey that will be launched on July 10.

The council also:

• Awarded a contract to Incisive LLC to develop a communications strategic plan. Incisive is also developing a marketing pitch deck for the city. 
• Approved a new fee structure for capital improvement projects, as dictated by a recently passed state law.
• Heard that fiscal year 2024 expenses and revenue are on target.
• Talked about this year’s July 3 Celebration of Independence festival. Several downtown streets will be closed starting at 6 a.m. that day, but businesses will remain open. The festival begins at 6 p.m. with fireworks commencing when dark falls.
• Retired to executive session for personnel, real estate and litigation purposes. No action was taken after the session.