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Work Begins on $18.9 M Safety Improvements Along Pleasant Ridge Road 
On Oct. 3, City officials broke ground on safety improvements and the widening of Pleasant Ridge Road from Merchant Drive to the city limits - an $18.9 million investment that will take two years to complete.

As ground-breakings go, this one was memorable, for multiple reasons.

The safety improvements and widening of Pleasant Ridge Road from Merchant Drive to the city limits is a major undertaking - an $18.9 million investment that will take two years to complete.

Nowhere along this 1.25-mile-long project corridor is public safety being enhanced more so than at Pleasant Ridge Elementary School, where the groundbreaking was held.

And it's always fun to have students join in, ask questions and heave shovelfuls of dirt!

At the groundbreaking, Mayor Kincannon and the students did a Q&A. Great questions from the fifth-graders!

Mayor Indya Kincannon thanked Principal Jennifer Morrell and the dedicated teachers and staff at Pleasant Ridge for welcoming City officials and the construction team to the school on Oct. 3.

The kids asked great questions: How long til the project is completed? (It's scheduled to be finished by the end of 2027.) Why was Pleasant Ridge Road chosen as a priority? (Public safety! The City wanted to create safer pedestrian paths for residents and for children walking to and from school.)

Near the school, the City and its construction team are building turn lanes, a new sidewalk, a greenway across the street, and marked pedestrian crossings.

But this project will help everyone in the neighborhood: 

New turn lanes at Walnoaks Road, the Pleasant Ridge Elementary School driveway, Sullivan Road, Murray Drive, Wadsworth Drive and Autumn Landing will alleviate traffic backups and make driving safer.

Sidewalks and a new greenway - coming soon.

Utilities and stormwater infrastructure are being upgraded.

Great to have the Pleasant Ridge Elementary students join in on the Oct. 3 ground-breaking!

The construction contractor is Charles Blalock & Sons. Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson is providing construction engineering and inspection services. And the project designer is Gresham Smith.

The Phase 2 work complements earlier work, an $8.76 million investment that added turn lanes, sidewalks and utility upgrades on a 1.3-mile section of Pleasant Ridge between Merchant Drive and Interstate 640.
Posted by evreeland at 1:25 PM