Foley, Ala. — (OBA) — Foley is taking more steps to improve traffic flow by upgrading the signals along Miflin Road. City leaders say the changes should make it easier for drivers to move through busy areas. The work is part of a larger plan across Foley. The project is a continuation of a growing partnership between the city and state transportation officials.

The Foley City Council has approved plans to upgrade the traffic lights on Miflin Road between Alabama 59 and Alabama 161 (formerly the Foley Beach Express). Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the effort builds on a signal coordination project the council first backed in 2024. That earlier decision committed Foley to working with the Alabama Department of Transportation on signals across the city.

Hellmich told council members that the cooperation with ALDOT began more than a year ago. He said the goal is to ease long waits at lights and reduce driver complaints. “It's an incremental increase, but every time we make another step, it helps fix those complaints that you get about how that signal is turning red and nobody is there,” he said.

The mayor said the new equipment will give staff more options to handle changing conditions on Foley roads. “It’s more modern, there is more control. This is really a good thing,” Hellmich said. He praised the partnership with state engineers and said residents should see benefits as each new phase is finished.

City Engineer Taylor Davis said the three signals on Miflin Road are showing their age. “The three signals that we have on that road are at least 10 years old,” Davis said. “The technology is no longer up to date. The infrastructure is harder to get parts for.”

Davis said newer systems can better sense traffic and keep signals in sync. “There's much better technology for detection and synchronization of the timing plan. This is where ALDOT comes in,” he said. The Miflin Road equipment will tie into a larger network already being built around Foley.

Once connected, the Miflin Road lights will be part of a system that coordinates more than 20 signals on Alabama 59, U.S. 98, and Alabama 161 in Foley. Alabama 161 is the designation ALDOT gave to the Foley Beach Express after the state took over that highway earlier this year. Officials say the link should help traffic move more smoothly between major corridors.

The state program managing the upgrades is called Regional Traffic Operations, or RTOP. Under RTOP, traffic cameras, radar and cellular equipment are used to monitor intersections and adjust signals. The system is designed to respond to real-time traffic conditions instead of relying only on fixed timing plans.

Along with the signal coordination, Foley is moving ahead with a plan to improve access along Miflin Road. The first phase of the Miflin Road Access Management Plan calls for building a median from Alabama 59 to Juniper Street. The median is intended to better organize turns and reduce conflict points for drivers.

Riviera Utilities will install street lighting on the new median. City officials say the added lighting should improve visibility and safety along that stretch of Miflin Road at night. The lighting work will take place alongside the median construction as part of the same phase.

The Miflin Road project is expected to take up to four months to complete, city staff said. During that time, individual lanes may be closed at different points along the corridor. Drivers are being asked to use caution and plan for some delays while work is underway.

Even with the construction, Davis said Miflin Road will remain open throughout the project. City leaders hope that once the signals are upgraded and the access changes are in place, residents and visitors will notice steadier traffic flow on one of Foley’s key east–west routes.