Foley, Ala. – (OBA) – Foley residents will soon have more walking paths along one of the city's main roads. The City Council has approved a plan to extend sidewalks again along Hwy 59. This improvement will make the area more pedestrian-friendly. Walkways will be added to a section of the highway that currently lacks proper pedestrian infrastructure.

The project will extend sidewalks from Roosevelt Avenue south to East Azalea Avenue. This addition will cover approximately four blocks of along Hwy 59.

According to Mayor Ralph Hellmich, this extension will nearly complete the city's goal of providing continuous sidewalks along the highway from downtown Foley to Azalea.

City Administrator Mike Thompson said one parcel is not included in the sidewalk program. That property is not developed. When that property is developed, the developer will be required to add sidewalks, completing the link.

Hellmich said funding from federal grants through the Transportation Alternative Program, known as TAP, will allow Foley to continue extending walkways to Pride Drive, near Foley High School.

“We're working on it. This is another section to get done and TAP grants will carry us all the way to Pride and tie into the trails that are already there,” Hellmich said. “That may take some time depending on when they approve that, but we’re getting there.”

The council voted in 2024 to have engineers design the walkway system. The project includes new 6-foot-wide sidewalks and ramps to make the walkway compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.