Board awards landscaping contract for Springridge interchange

By Randy Bell

     For travelers on I-20, the Springridge Road interchange serves as Clinton’s front door.  It’s where many motorists exit the interstate to gas up, book a hotel room or enjoy a meal.  And the City will get some help now in keeping the landscaping spruced up.  At its March 18 meeting, the Board of Aldermen approved a $35,359 contract with a local company, Amis Lawn and Landscaping, LLC, to maintain the trees and bushes at the interchange.

     “I feel like it’s best to have someone who specializes in landscaping to deal with the maintenance,” says Public Works Director Phillip Lilley, who points out that it will free up his crews to do work elsewhere in the city.  He says the contractor will be responsible for mulching the beds and pruning the trees.

     According to Lilley, the trees need regular attention to keep them looking good.

     “That’s part of the health of the tree,” he says.

     The landscaping contract is part of a series of upgrades in the works for the Springridge interchange.  An effort to improve traffic signalization is underway, using cameras to monitor the flow of vehicles through the various intersections and control the lights.  And, soon, a .40-mile section of Springridge south of the interchange will benefit from a paving project funded by a $1.35 million federal Surface Transportation grant and a local contribution of about $579,000.

     The grant will also pay for resurfacing Clinton Boulevard from College Street/Mt. Salus Drive to Shaw Road and adding bike lanes to that busy street.  The road work could get underway in late May or early June.