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January 2025 | Volume 12 | Issue 9
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SERVING VESTAVIA HILLS, THE 280 CORRIDOR, HOMEWOOD, HOOVER, MOUNTAIN BROOK AND TRUSSVILLE
VESTAVIA HILLS’ COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE VESTAVIAVOICE.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
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Traffic on U.S. 280 comes to a stop below the Pump House Road bridge on Nov. 22. In 2025, an extra lane will be added on either side of the road from Lakeshore to I-459. There are also proposals to add another lane onto the bridge. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
US 280 expansion set to begin; officials hope to ease cut-through traffic coming from Vestavia By TAYLOR BRIGHT U.S. 280 congestion may be getting a little worse in the next couple of years — and then, officials hope, a whole lot better. The state is set to begin construction on the widening of 280 as soon as February, the Alabama Department of Transportation said. The project is expected to last two years. The project is designed to add to the capacity for cars traveling along the western end of the highway, which runs through Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. According to data from ALDOT, the busiest point of 280, near Overton Road, has an average of nearly 105,000 vehicles traveling that point daily. By comparison, only the interstates are more traveled in the metro area. I-20/59 by the Tallapoosa Street exit has more than 150,000 vehicles driving on it daily. Vestavia Hills officials hope the project will steer residents to the new 280 instead of cutting through residential neighborhoods, namely through areas in Mountain Brook where residents have complained.
What to expect in Vestavia Hills this year By JON ANDERSON As the calendar flips into 2025, there are many things to watch in Vestavia Hills. The city celebrates its 75th anniversary. The municipal election is in August, and a new indoor pickleball facility is scheduled to open in the former Sprouts grocery store. Also, construction for the new
pedestrian bridge over U.S. 31 should be completed, and growth continues in the eastern part of the city. Here’s a rundown on each of those topics.
See LOOK AHEAD | page 22
INSIDE
Sponsors................................................4 City..........................................................6
Schoolhouse..........................................8 Business............................................... 10
See 280 EXPANSION | page 23 Sports................................................... 16 Community......................................... 20 facebook.com/vestaviavoice
All-South Metro
Jiujitsu Grandma
Rebels named to All-South Metro Volleyball and Football team lineups.
‘Jiujitsu Grandma’ proves age is just a number.
See pages 16-19
Cummings
See page 21
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