Lloyd Noland Parkway

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Lloyd Noland Parkway is a 1.37 mile long road within Fairfield. Its northern end is at its intersection with 36th Street and after weaving through central Fairfield it reaches its southern end at its intersection with 46th Place. It is also accessible from I-20/I-59 northeast at Exit 119.

Originally called Ridgeway, the street was renamed in the 1950s to honor Dr Lloyd Noland, the chief of the health department for Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad Company. Noland was instrumental in the construction of the company's infirmary in Fairfield, later named Lloyd Noland Hospital.

In 2000 the street was renamed Richard M. Scrushy Parkway (or R. M. Scrushy Parkway) to honor then- HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy after HealthSouth purchased Lloyd Noland Hospital and reopened it as HealthSouth Metro West.

The Metro West hospital was one of the causalities of the HealthSouth scandal. The loss of the company and Scrushy's disgraceful exit (and later criminal conviction) spurred talk of removing his name from the parkway. In a September 2006 public hearing, "Miles College Parkway" was suggested as possible name for the parkway in honor of Fairfield's Miles College. Other suggestions have included restoring either of the street's former names, or using it to honor Fairfield police officer Mary Smith, who was killed in the line of duty in October 2006. The City Council's Health, Education and Community Resources Committee held a hearing on September 13, 2007 to get public input on their recommendation to the Council. On September 17 the Council voted to restore the name "Lloyd Noland Parkway".

Notable locations

References

  • Plott, Bill (September 29, 2006) "Miles College Parkway wins support at renaming hearing". Birmingham News.
  • Plott, Bill (June 26, 2007) "Mayor wants road renamed for officer." Birmingham News.
  • Plott, Bill (September 14, 2007) "Little consensus on street renaming." Birmingham News.
  • Plott, Bill (September 17, 2007) "Fairfield changes street name from Scrushy to Lloyd Noland." Birmingham News.