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Landing of steel mill would affect entire region, says ALDOT director
"Work will continue on U.S. 84, where much more progress remains to be made. We have completed 86 miles of four-lane, beginning in southeast Alabama, where the population density was greatest. I am committed as is Governor Riley to systematically continue working our way west across the remaining 100 miles of the route. "I expect our Corridor Study for the segment from Evergreen to Monroeville to be finished later this year," McInnes said. "As we receive annual allocations toward a Congressional earmark totaling $8.4 million, we will continue our Corridor Study work between I-65 and the Mississippi state line. "Construction will be programmed into our Five-Year Plan, and because it is not realistic to expect that Congress will be forthcoming with any further special earmarks for construction, it still will take several years to finish widening U.S. 84. When we finish, the total price tag across South Alabama will be between $750 million and $1 billion dollars. "U.S. Highway 43 is a busy stretch of highway both in terms of traffic volumes and planned projects throughout the Alabama- Tombigbee region of Alabama, and the entire length of Alabama," he said. "But specifically in this region, there are by my count at least four widening projects in the planning stages (all in Marengo County). The first of these projects, from a mile south of State Road 69 to State Road 28 east of Linden, is scheduled for initial construction later this year, with final paving to follow in late 2009 or early 2010. "...Alabama, particularly in the Alabama- Tombigbee Region, is poised for potential growth in a way that few could have imagined just a few years ago. As you may know, it has been widely reported that Alabama is competing for a multi-billion dollar steel plant in North Mobile/Southern Washington County. "If Alabama lands this plant, the ripple effect will be felt for hundreds of miles," McInnes said. "Not only because of the plant itself, but because of the need for supplier plants nearby. "I believe our transportation infrastructure is advancing to the point in South Alabama and up into the Alabama-Tombigbee Region that we are prepared for the demands that will come if these new plants come to fruition," he said. The director said there are plans to widen U.S. Highway 80 in Marengo and Sumter counties as well. "On U.S. 80, we will let the final project to initial construction in late 2009 or early 2010. After that, the ultimate paving will be necessary on that final project, but by then, most of the remaining 20 or so miles will already be open to traffic." McInnes also detailed efforts to extend Interstate 85 from Montgomery to Interstate 59 in West Alabama as well as other state projects. He concluded that while work continues to make Alabama's highways safer, traffic deaths continue to be high. "2006 marks the fifth consecutive year for traffic deaths to exceed 1,000. I hope we can reach a point sometime during the next four years where, through our efforts and the efforts of other safety partners such as the Department of Public Safety, we can lower that number back below 1,000.
Seat belt use is perhaps the single most effective thing we can do, and I hope you all will join me in wearing your seat belt, but also as an advocate for everyone you know and love to wear one."
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