FOLEY – City crews will be working in downtown Foley over several evenings starting Tuesday, July 11, to repair irrigation lines for flowers and plants along Alabama 59 and U.S. 98.

The work will start around 6 p.m. and continue each evening for two or three days, John Graham, Foley horticulture director, said crews will dig up and repair lines at five locations on McKenzie Street and Laurel Avenue.

They’re irrigation lines, but they’re anywhere from 3-feet deep to 6-feet deep and they’re usually under the asphalt or sidewalk areas in the right of way,” Graham said.

He said the work should not interrupt traffic on the highways, but crews will be digging on rights of way and in parking spaces next to the roads and drivers are asked to watch out for workers on those evenings.

“There won’t be any official lane closure, but there could be some cones and flags,” Graham said.

He said the work will take place at night to reduce problems with traffic and heat.

“It’s cooler and safer and not in the way of traffic as much,” Graham said.
He said working at night will also reduce any interference with parking and downtown businesses

“It’s after hours,, so we won’t affect anybody’s business, so that’s what we want to avoid too, so we don’t take up anybody’s parking spaces,” Graham said.

He said the pipes are used only for the city plant irrigation system and the work should not affect water and sewer services for local residents and businesses.

“This is for our hanging baskets, the baskets on the poles. It’s mostly for the irrigation on those and then some of the beds,” he said. “We haven’t been able to hang a lot of the baskets in the past because the irrigation has been down. We’ve been moving it along with Band Aids long enough that it’s affecting our product. We’re unable to actually hang things now and we want to get that back.”