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The '''Northern Beltline''' is the proposed by-pass route around [[Birmingham]] through northern and western [[Jefferson County]] to be completed by [[2025]]. Along with the existing [[I-459]], the Northern Beltline would complete the bypass loop of central Birmingham for all interstate traffic. Current plans for the route have it connecting at [[I-459]]'s current southern terminus in [[Bessemer]] with [[I-59]] at approximately mile marker 147 to the northeast of [[Trussville]]. Additional studies are underway to determine the economic feasibility to continue the route from its proposed northern terminus to [[I-20]] in the [[Leeds]]/[[Moody]] area. The route has been designated as the '''Appalachian Regional Commission, High Priority Corridor X-1''' and as '''Alabama State Highway 959'''.  
[[File:Future 422 shield.png|right|150px]]
The '''Northern Beltline''' ('''Appalachian Regional Commission High Priority Corridor X-1''', and future '''Interstate 422''') is a planned 52-mile by-pass route around [[Birmingham]] through northern and western [[Jefferson County]] to be completed in late [[2048]] at a projected cost of $5.45 billion. Along with the existing [[I-459]], the Northern Beltline would complete the bypass loop of central Birmingham for all interstate traffic. The route has also been designated as '''Alabama State Highway 959'''.
 
==Route==
The planned route is divided into five segments with thirteen interchanges:
 
===Segment 1===
In the west, Segment 1 begins at the present southern terminus of [[I-459]] at [[1-59]]/[[I-20|20]] in [[Bessemer]]. The route crosses [[Valley Creek]] just before its first planned interchange near the present intersection of [[Powder Plant Road]] and [[Bessemer-Johns Road]]. The second interchange is planned for the intersection of [[Jefferson County Road 29]] and [[15th Street Road Hueytown|15th Street Road]] in [[Hueytown]] near [[Hueytown Fire Station #2]]. The third interchange, on [[Warrior River Road]] ([[Jefferson County Road 46]]) near [[Clark Mountain]] represents the end of Segment 1, which traverses 9 miles.
 
===Segment 2===
The second segment picks up from there and continues to the north, with a fourth interchange at [[Birmingport Road]] between [[Rock Creek Road]] and [[Pleasant Grove Road]] in [[Sylvan Springs]]. It then crosses [[Village Creek]] near [[Bayview Dam]] and makes its fifth interchange at [[U. S. Highway 78]] in northern [[Adamsville]] just north of [[Glascow Hollow Road]]. The length of Segment 2 is 9.6 miles.
 
===Segment 3===
Segment 3 picks up there and proceeds northeast through [[Graysville]] making its 6th interchange with [[I-22]] just under a mile east of I-22's [[Cherry Avenue]] exit. The route continues eastward, crossing [[Five Mile Creek]] in [[Brookside]] toward [[Mount Olive]]. The 7th interchange occurs at [[Newfound Road]] ([[Jefferson County Road 77]]) just south of that community, marking the end of the 8.3 mile segment.
 
===Segment 4===
The fourth segment continues over [[Mount Olive Road]] and proceeds northeast to [[I-65]] and [[U. S. Highway 31]], making its 8th and 9th interchanges there in northern [[Gardendale]]. The 10th interchange occurs at [[Glenwood Road]] ([[Jefferson County Road 129]]) just south of [[Morris]]. The segment continues east over [[Turkey Creek]] to [[Bradford Road]] ([[Jefferson County Road 121]]) between [[Crosston]] and [[Bradford]], traversing 10.2 miles.
 
===Segment 5===
The fifth, and at 13 miles, the longest segment of the beltine continues west through [[Dixiana]] to [[Alabama Highway 79]] near the southern end of [[Old Tennessee Pike]] where it makes its 10th interchange. The 11th interchange falls about 2 miles further on [[Alabama Highway 75]] in [[Palmerdale]], between [[Clay-Palmerdale Road]] and [[Marsh Mountain Road]]. It passes north of [[Butler Mountain]] and forms its 12th interchange at [[Old Springville Road]] ([[Jefferson County Road 30]]) and [[Goodner Mountain Road]] in [[Clay]]. The segment continues southeast, crossing the [[Cahaba River]], and terminating at [[I-59]] near mile marker 147 at [[Advent Circle]] and [[Hubbards Lake]] in northeast [[Trussville]].
 
===Extension===
A corridor study is underway to determine the economic feasibility of continuing the route into [[St Clair County]] through [[Argo]] and [[Margaret]] to reach [[I-20]] in [[Moody]].


==History==
==History==
As early as the 1960s, the prospect of a complete beltway encircling Birmingham was envisioned. Although the proposal was initially dropped from the original Interstate Highway System, the completion of Birmingham's outer beltway has been speculated since the completion of [[I-459]] in [[1985]]. By [[1989]], the first federal and local funds were earmarked for a project to study the feasibility of constructing the route.  
===Early planning===
As early as the 1960s, the prospect of a complete beltway encircling Birmingham was envisioned. Although the proposal was initially dropped from the original Interstate Highway System, the completion of Birmingham's outer beltway was placed on the area's long-range transportation plan in [[1981]] and has been seen as a natural extension of [[I-459]] since it was completed in [[1985]]. By [[1989]], the first federal and local funds were earmarked for a project to study the feasibility of constructing the route.  


===Federal funding===
In September [[1993]] the [[Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization|Metropolitan Planning Organization]] made a $500,000 request from [[ALDOT]] for preliminary engineering of the beltline. Through the continued efforts of representative [[Spencer Bachus]], in June [[1995]], the project was designated by the Federal Highway Administration as part of the National Highway System. As a result of this designation, the beltline would be eligible for federal transportation dollars.  
In September [[1993]] the [[Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization|Metropolitan Planning Organization]] made a $500,000 request from [[ALDOT]] for preliminary engineering of the beltline. Through the continued efforts of representative [[Spencer Bachus]], in June [[1995]], the project was designated by the Federal Highway Administration as part of the National Highway System. As a result of this designation, the beltline would be eligible for federal transportation dollars.  


In [[2000]], the Northern Beltline was added to the area’s Transportation Plan, and in [[2001]], congressmen [[Richard Shelby]] and [[Spencer Bachus]] secured $60 million to buy right-of-way and do preliminary engineering for the route. In [[2003]], Shelby secured an additional $2 million for the continued purchasing of right-of-way. Progress continues with the purchasing of additional right-of way through the county as of [[2006]].
In [[2000]], the Northern Beltline was added to the area’s Transportation Plan, and in [[2001]], Senator [[Richard Shelby]] and Representative [[Spencer Bachus]] secured $60 million to buy right-of-way and do preliminary engineering for the route. In [[2003]], Shelby succeeded in having the project designated under the Appalachian Development Highway System, and secured an additional $2 million for the continued purchasing of right-of-way. Progress continues with the purchasing of additional right-of way through the county as of [[2006]].
 
In [[2009]] Shelby reaffirmed his commitment to the project, which was deemed the top federal legislative priority for the [[Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce]]. In May of that year [[Spencer Bachus]] announced that the Northern Beltline would carry the designation of '''Interstate 422''' instead of being simply a continuation of Interstate 459, and also stated that he would like to see it complete by [[2025]]. In August, the proposal was the subject of a special report on "The Newshour with Jim Lehrer". Journalist Rick Karr characterized it as a "quintessential" example of what he terms "zombie highways" for their propensity to devour funding even when they're all but dead.


In [[2009]] Shelby reaffirmed his commitment to the project, which was deemed the top federal legislative priority for the [[Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce]].
The House of Representatives implemented a ban on earmarks beginning in [[2010]], curtailing Shelby's personal influence in securing funds. Meanwhile, the [[Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization]] ranked at 36 out of 54 projects, noting that it would do little to improve traffic congestion. Congress stopped funding the Appalachian Development Highway System in [[2012]]. In debate, Colorado Rep. Jared Polis made specific reference to the Birmingham project as the "Alabama Porkway".


==Proposed routing==
In August [[2013]] the Federal Highway Administration increased the projected cost for the project from $4.7 billion to $5.45 billion (or $104.7 million per mile). The Alabama Department of Transportation did not adopt the increased estimate, and the [[Coalition for Regional Transportation]] continues to estimate the project's cost as $3 billion.
According to the [[Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization]] the Northern Beltline would be divided into five separate segments for construction.


{| border="1"
===Construction===
!Segment!! Western End!! Eastern End!! Mileage!! Communities traversed !!Exits
The first section slated for construction was projected to be part of Segment 4 between [[Alabama Highway 79]] at and [[Alabama Highway 75]] at [[Palmerdale]], about four miles north of [[Alabama Highway 151]], which already connected the two. It was expected that the $80 million section could begin construction in late [[2010]], but the process of obtaining a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kept ALDOT from requesting bids before mid-[[2013]].
|-
 
|Segment 1|| [[I-459]]|| [[Jefferson County 46]]|| 9.02|| [[Bessemer]], [[Hueytown]]|| [[I-459]], [[Jefferson County 29]], [[Jefferson County 46]]
Phase one of construction, a 1.3-mile segment in northeast Jefferson County near [[Palmerdale]], was begun in February 2014. Construction work was concluded in the fall of 2016.
|-
 
|Segment 2|| [[Jefferson County 46]]|| [[U.S. Highway 78]]|| 9.58|| [[Pleasant Grove]], [[Sylvan Springs]], [[Mulga]], [[Maytown]], [[Adamsville]]|| [[Alabama 269]], [[U.S. Highway 78]]
===Renewed funding===
|-
Funding for additional work was not included in the federal transportation budget until [[2019]], when approximately $30 million of a $100 million appropriation to the Appalachian Development Highway System was approved by Congress. In November [[2021]] the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden, which included $369 million for the beltline project. Shelby voted no on that bill. At the end of [[2022]] ALDOT had not yet announced any new construction projects related to the beltline.
|Segment 3|| [[U.S. Highway 78]]|| [[Jefferson County 77]]/New Found Road|| 8.28|| [[Adamsville]], [[Graysville]], [[Cardiff]], [[Brookside]] || [[U.S. Highway 78]]
 
|-
In January [[2023]] the Regional Planning Commission projected that it would steer around $1.5 billion to the Northern Beltline project by [[2045]]. In April Governor [[Kay Ivey]] announced that $489 million in federal funds had been approved, allowing for paving contracts for the section between [[Alabama State Highway 75]] and [[Alabama State Highway 79|79]], and for continued construction westward as far as [[U.S. Highway 31]] at [[Gardendale]] by [[2028]]. The state issued Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds, borrowing against future rounds of federal grant funding.
|Segment 4|| [[Jefferson County 77]]/New Found Road|| [[Jefferson County 121]]/New Castle Road|| 10.20|| [[Brookside]], [[Gardendale]], [[Morris]] || [[Jefferson County 112]], [[I-65]], [[Highway 31]], [[Jefferson County 129]]
 
|-
==Support and opposition==
|Segment 5|| [[Jefferson County 121]]/New Found Road|| [[I-59]]|| 13.00|| [[Pinson]], [[Clay]], [[Trussville]] || [[Alabama 79]], [[Alabama 75]], [[Jefferson County 30]]/[[Old Springville Road]], [[I-59]]
The project is strongly supported by many of the municipalities it would connect, as well as by the corporations who own large parcels of undeveloped land in Northern and Western Jefferson County such as [[U. S. Steel]], [[Drummond Company]], [[Walter Energy]], and [[Alawest]]. These leaders have stressed the potential of the highway to spur major economic development projects that would benefit the region. For that reason the [[Birmingham Business Alliance]] has endorsed the project.
|}
 
Local and regional planners reach mixed conclusions about the proposal, saying that the planned route, which favors undeveloped areas instead of close connections, may be unnecessarily long and that its failure to connect with [[I-459]] on the east limits its usefulness as a true bypass ring. Others suggest that a smaller parkway-style connector may be more appropriate for the expected traffic and would not imperil small communities and ecosystems in the same way.
 
A group called [[SOURCE]] ("Save Our Unique River, Communities and Environment") has criticized the proposed alignment of the beltline, saying that it needlessly endangers the headwaters of the [[Cahaba River|Cahaba]] and [[Little Cahaba River]]s. The group points out that the proposal shows interchanges being constructed in some of the most environmentally-sensitive sections of the watershed. SOURCE has also complained that the large landowners who stand to benefit most are also the driving forces in speeding funding for the project.
 
A lawsuit was filed by a coalition of environmental groups in [[2011]], claiming that the project would involve making 125 stream crossings and leveling more than 4,000 acres of forest, imperiling several threatened and endangered species. The suit was dismissed.


==References==
==References==
* Roberts, Chris (September 15, 1993) "JeffCo, Shelby getting $120 million for roads." ''Birmingham News
* Roberts, Chris (September 15, 1993) "JeffCo, Shelby getting $120 million for roads." {{BN}}
* Gordon, Tom (June 10, 1995) "Northern Beltline gets federal priority." ''Birmingham News
* Gordon, Tom (June 10, 1995) "Northern Beltline gets federal priority." {{BN}}
* Nicholson, Gilbert (May 11, 2001) "Northern Beltline: Land rush may ensue when road's route announced this summer." ''Birmingham Business Journal'' [http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2001/05/14/focus1.html].
* Nicholson, Gilbert (May 11, 2001) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2001/05/14/focus1.html Northern Beltline: Land rush may ensue when road's route announced this summer]" {{BBJ}}
* Birmingham Business Journal (September 4, 2003) "Sen. Shelby continues to bring home transportation bacon." ''Birmingham Business Journal'' [http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/09/01/daily22.html].
* "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/09/01/daily22.html Sen. Shelby continues to bring home transportation bacon]" (September 4, 2003) {{BBJ}}
* Orndorff, Mary (May 1, 2009) "U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby pledges federal aid for Northern Beltline project near Birmingham, Alabama." ''Birmingham News''
* Wilson, Glynn (November 16, 2006) "[http://www.locustfork.net/blog/warrior_riverkeepers/birminghams_northern_beltline.html Birmingham's Northern Beltline Highway Is Not Inevitable]" ''Locust Fork Journal''
* Orndorff, Mary (May 1, 2009) "U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby pledges federal aid for Northern Beltline project near Birmingham, Alabama." {{BN}}
* MacDonald, Ginny (May 26, 2009) "Corridor X/ I-65 interchange construction could begin this year." {{BN}}
* Gray, Jeremy (August 6, 2009) "Show looks at the Northern Beltline and area mass transit." {{BN}}
* Geiss, Chuck (August 20, 2009) "[http://www.bwcitypaper.com/Articles-i-2009-08-20-230997.113121_Naked_Birmingham.html Naked Birmingham]" ''Black & White''
* Karr, Rick (August 5, 2009) "[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/by-program/the-newshour-with-jim-lehrer/more-blueprint-america-on-the-newshour-with-jim-lehrer/778/ More Blueprint America on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer]". Blueprint America
* Spencer, Thomas (December 13, 2009) "Northern Beltline work set to begin." {{BN}}
* Walsh, Sean (February 25, 2011) "Birmingham's Northern Beltline cost estimate soars to $4.7 billion." {{BN}}
* Pelfrey, David (June 9, 2011) "[http://www.bwcitypaper.com/editorial/activefiles/BW_2011-06-09_web.pdf Spinning a web: The deceptive public relations tactics of the Birmingham Business Alliance and the Coalition for Regional Transportation reveal the character of the Northern Beltline's most ardent supporters]" ''Black & White''
* Smith, Mike D. (August 20, 2013) "New cost estimate puts Northern Beltline price at about $5.45 billion." {{BN}}
* Edgemon, Erin (November 8, 2017) "Construction of Birmingham Northern Beltline stops due to loss of funding." {{BN}}
* Koplowitz, Howard (December 19, 2019) "Northern Beltline to resume construction after $30 million approved in Senate funding bills." {{BN}}
* Sullivan, Andy (March 30, 2022) "[https://www.reuters.com/world/us/alabama-infrastructure-dollars-revive-zombie-highway-2022-03-30/ In Alabama, infrastructure dollars revive a 'zombie' highway]" Reuters
* Gann, Heather (October 11, 2022) "Construction of long awaited $5.5 billion Northern Beltline could restart in spring, officials say." {{BN}}
* O'Leary, A. J. (November 17, 2022) "Northern Beltline project still in air, community leaders waiting." {{BBJ}}
* O'Leary, A. J. (April 12, 2023) "Northern Beltline project moves forward." {{BBJ}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.aaroads.com/high-priority/corr28.html Northern Beltline at AARoads.com]
* [http://www.bhammpo.org/studies/beltline.htm Northern Beltline at the Birmingham MPO]  
* [http://www.bhammpo.org/studies/beltline.htm Northern Beltline at the Birmingham MPO]  
* [http://www.bhammpo.org/docs/BNB.pdf Map of the Northern Beltline] from the Birmingham MPO
* [http://www.bhammpo.org/docs/BNB.pdf Map of the Northern Beltline] from the Birmingham MPO
* [http://www.sourceonbeltline.org SOURCE] website
* [http://www.aaroads.com/high-priority/corr28.html Northern Beltline at AARoads.com]
* [http://media.al.com/bn/other/1213BELTPROP.pdf  Large Landowners Along the Beltline]. ''Birmingham News'' graphic by Jeff Hansen, Thomas Spencer and Jody Potter
* [http://media.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/other/BNB%2011.20.08.KMZ Google Earth .KMZ file] of the beltline's proposed route.


[[Category:Interstates]]
[[Category:Interstates]]
[[Category:Proposed developments]]

Latest revision as of 13:21, 21 April 2023

Future 422 shield.png

The Northern Beltline (Appalachian Regional Commission High Priority Corridor X-1, and future Interstate 422) is a planned 52-mile by-pass route around Birmingham through northern and western Jefferson County to be completed in late 2048 at a projected cost of $5.45 billion. Along with the existing I-459, the Northern Beltline would complete the bypass loop of central Birmingham for all interstate traffic. The route has also been designated as Alabama State Highway 959.

Route

The planned route is divided into five segments with thirteen interchanges:

Segment 1

In the west, Segment 1 begins at the present southern terminus of I-459 at 1-59/20 in Bessemer. The route crosses Valley Creek just before its first planned interchange near the present intersection of Powder Plant Road and Bessemer-Johns Road. The second interchange is planned for the intersection of Jefferson County Road 29 and 15th Street Road in Hueytown near Hueytown Fire Station #2. The third interchange, on Warrior River Road (Jefferson County Road 46) near Clark Mountain represents the end of Segment 1, which traverses 9 miles.

Segment 2

The second segment picks up from there and continues to the north, with a fourth interchange at Birmingport Road between Rock Creek Road and Pleasant Grove Road in Sylvan Springs. It then crosses Village Creek near Bayview Dam and makes its fifth interchange at U. S. Highway 78 in northern Adamsville just north of Glascow Hollow Road. The length of Segment 2 is 9.6 miles.

Segment 3

Segment 3 picks up there and proceeds northeast through Graysville making its 6th interchange with I-22 just under a mile east of I-22's Cherry Avenue exit. The route continues eastward, crossing Five Mile Creek in Brookside toward Mount Olive. The 7th interchange occurs at Newfound Road (Jefferson County Road 77) just south of that community, marking the end of the 8.3 mile segment.

Segment 4

The fourth segment continues over Mount Olive Road and proceeds northeast to I-65 and U. S. Highway 31, making its 8th and 9th interchanges there in northern Gardendale. The 10th interchange occurs at Glenwood Road (Jefferson County Road 129) just south of Morris. The segment continues east over Turkey Creek to Bradford Road (Jefferson County Road 121) between Crosston and Bradford, traversing 10.2 miles.

Segment 5

The fifth, and at 13 miles, the longest segment of the beltine continues west through Dixiana to Alabama Highway 79 near the southern end of Old Tennessee Pike where it makes its 10th interchange. The 11th interchange falls about 2 miles further on Alabama Highway 75 in Palmerdale, between Clay-Palmerdale Road and Marsh Mountain Road. It passes north of Butler Mountain and forms its 12th interchange at Old Springville Road (Jefferson County Road 30) and Goodner Mountain Road in Clay. The segment continues southeast, crossing the Cahaba River, and terminating at I-59 near mile marker 147 at Advent Circle and Hubbards Lake in northeast Trussville.

Extension

A corridor study is underway to determine the economic feasibility of continuing the route into St Clair County through Argo and Margaret to reach I-20 in Moody.

History

Early planning

As early as the 1960s, the prospect of a complete beltway encircling Birmingham was envisioned. Although the proposal was initially dropped from the original Interstate Highway System, the completion of Birmingham's outer beltway was placed on the area's long-range transportation plan in 1981 and has been seen as a natural extension of I-459 since it was completed in 1985. By 1989, the first federal and local funds were earmarked for a project to study the feasibility of constructing the route.

Federal funding

In September 1993 the Metropolitan Planning Organization made a $500,000 request from ALDOT for preliminary engineering of the beltline. Through the continued efforts of representative Spencer Bachus, in June 1995, the project was designated by the Federal Highway Administration as part of the National Highway System. As a result of this designation, the beltline would be eligible for federal transportation dollars.

In 2000, the Northern Beltline was added to the area’s Transportation Plan, and in 2001, Senator Richard Shelby and Representative Spencer Bachus secured $60 million to buy right-of-way and do preliminary engineering for the route. In 2003, Shelby succeeded in having the project designated under the Appalachian Development Highway System, and secured an additional $2 million for the continued purchasing of right-of-way. Progress continues with the purchasing of additional right-of way through the county as of 2006.

In 2009 Shelby reaffirmed his commitment to the project, which was deemed the top federal legislative priority for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. In May of that year Spencer Bachus announced that the Northern Beltline would carry the designation of Interstate 422 instead of being simply a continuation of Interstate 459, and also stated that he would like to see it complete by 2025. In August, the proposal was the subject of a special report on "The Newshour with Jim Lehrer". Journalist Rick Karr characterized it as a "quintessential" example of what he terms "zombie highways" for their propensity to devour funding even when they're all but dead.

The House of Representatives implemented a ban on earmarks beginning in 2010, curtailing Shelby's personal influence in securing funds. Meanwhile, the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization ranked at 36 out of 54 projects, noting that it would do little to improve traffic congestion. Congress stopped funding the Appalachian Development Highway System in 2012. In debate, Colorado Rep. Jared Polis made specific reference to the Birmingham project as the "Alabama Porkway".

In August 2013 the Federal Highway Administration increased the projected cost for the project from $4.7 billion to $5.45 billion (or $104.7 million per mile). The Alabama Department of Transportation did not adopt the increased estimate, and the Coalition for Regional Transportation continues to estimate the project's cost as $3 billion.

Construction

The first section slated for construction was projected to be part of Segment 4 between Alabama Highway 79 at and Alabama Highway 75 at Palmerdale, about four miles north of Alabama Highway 151, which already connected the two. It was expected that the $80 million section could begin construction in late 2010, but the process of obtaining a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kept ALDOT from requesting bids before mid-2013.

Phase one of construction, a 1.3-mile segment in northeast Jefferson County near Palmerdale, was begun in February 2014. Construction work was concluded in the fall of 2016.

Renewed funding

Funding for additional work was not included in the federal transportation budget until 2019, when approximately $30 million of a $100 million appropriation to the Appalachian Development Highway System was approved by Congress. In November 2021 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden, which included $369 million for the beltline project. Shelby voted no on that bill. At the end of 2022 ALDOT had not yet announced any new construction projects related to the beltline.

In January 2023 the Regional Planning Commission projected that it would steer around $1.5 billion to the Northern Beltline project by 2045. In April Governor Kay Ivey announced that $489 million in federal funds had been approved, allowing for paving contracts for the section between Alabama State Highway 75 and 79, and for continued construction westward as far as U.S. Highway 31 at Gardendale by 2028. The state issued Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds, borrowing against future rounds of federal grant funding.

Support and opposition

The project is strongly supported by many of the municipalities it would connect, as well as by the corporations who own large parcels of undeveloped land in Northern and Western Jefferson County such as U. S. Steel, Drummond Company, Walter Energy, and Alawest. These leaders have stressed the potential of the highway to spur major economic development projects that would benefit the region. For that reason the Birmingham Business Alliance has endorsed the project.

Local and regional planners reach mixed conclusions about the proposal, saying that the planned route, which favors undeveloped areas instead of close connections, may be unnecessarily long and that its failure to connect with I-459 on the east limits its usefulness as a true bypass ring. Others suggest that a smaller parkway-style connector may be more appropriate for the expected traffic and would not imperil small communities and ecosystems in the same way.

A group called SOURCE ("Save Our Unique River, Communities and Environment") has criticized the proposed alignment of the beltline, saying that it needlessly endangers the headwaters of the Cahaba and Little Cahaba Rivers. The group points out that the proposal shows interchanges being constructed in some of the most environmentally-sensitive sections of the watershed. SOURCE has also complained that the large landowners who stand to benefit most are also the driving forces in speeding funding for the project.

A lawsuit was filed by a coalition of environmental groups in 2011, claiming that the project would involve making 125 stream crossings and leveling more than 4,000 acres of forest, imperiling several threatened and endangered species. The suit was dismissed.

References

External links