Progress 280 Task Force

The Progress 280 Task Force is a group formed by the Regional Growth Alliance, a cooperative alliance of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Planning Commission, and Region 2020, to address traffic congestion and development along the Highway 280 corridor from Elton B. Stephens Expressway to Hugh Daniel Drive. The group has been meeting monthly since November 2001. It has taken the ongoing Horizon 280 plans as the starting point for their discussions.

The members of the group, some of whom also served in the Horizon 280 group, represent citizens who live along the route in question, businesses that have invested in and operate along the route, and representatives of contiguous municipal and county governments.

The task force is currently chaired by Scotty McCallum, with Hank Collins and Della Fancher serving as co-chairs. Other government representatives on the panel include Mary Buckelew, Larry Dillard, Bernard Kincaid, Barbara McCollum, Barry McCulley, Earl Nivens and Terry Oden. Business representatives include David Bair, Charles Carlisle, Barry Copeland, Russell Cunningham, III, Dwight Mullis, David Silverstein and Jennifer Trammell. Citizen representatives on the panel include Nancy Bromberg, Noel Chambless, Della Fancher, Ouida Fritschi, Bo Bohannon, Evan McCauley, Lori Silberblatt, and Merry Williams.

Progress 280's role is to help forge consensus among various interested groups which would be impacted by the future of the corridor, and to advise the Alabama Department of Transportation on "best methods" for plans based on their discussions and knowledge as stakeholders.

Major projects considered as possibilities by the group include:

• In November 2001, Governor Don Seigelman announced an ALDOT plan to overhaul 10 interchanges as grade-separated "urban interchanges" along Highway 280. The 280/I-459 interchange would be the first of these, with others done in phases of 2 or 3 at a time. Prioritizing these interchanges was made a responsibility of a technical advisory subcommittee of Progress 280, and the Highway 119 interchange was identified as the next priority after I-459, with a grade-separated interchange recommended over other alternatives.
• Adding lanes was evaluated as part of ALDOT's analysis of an elevated toll road. Right of way for additional lanes is available east of Lockerbie Road, but would be difficult to obtain closer to town. The concept was seen as providing only "partial relief" of current congestion.
• Light rail was discussed by Steve Ortmann, of STV, Inc. which prepared the Alternatives Analysis for five major traffic corridors in the Birmingham region. He recommended against light rail for Highway 280, but the idea of mass transit as part of the solution was still a positive one.
• Land use planning and "smart growth" along the 280 corridor are seen as necessary to be able to predict and control the use of the highway. The "280 Overlay Plan" is a project of the Metropolitan Planning Organization to address land use priorities.
• High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and/or "Bus Only" lanes
• Signage and enforcement for trucks and slower traffic to keep right.

External links

• Minutes of the Progress 280 Task Force at regionalgrowthalliance.com