It is likely years away from the possibility of Interstate 65 adding an additional lane in both directions to alleviate traffic flow problems.
In the meantime, the Alabama Legislature is urging the Ivey administration to plan for that expansion.
During an appearance on "Rightside Radio" on Thursday, State Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) talked about the effort he led to get the Legislature to pass a resolution calling for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to initiate a study on the feasibility of the project.
Relevant portion begins at 24:04
"You have to start planning now, as my father always said," he said, "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. And so, we have to look at where we're going to be in 10 years. Where are we going to be in 15 years? And if you're anywhere on I-65 on the weekend, especially during peak season, which is during the summertime, you can't get to your destination without some type of bumper-to-bumper traffic probably 50% of the time on the way down. And it's not only annoying but also wear and tear on your vehicle. You've got to increase drive time. It's increased cost for travel — productivity when you lose time. And it's just annoying."
"It finally got to a point I was talking to Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth, saying, 'Listen, we've got to do something here.' He said, 'Well, you need to pass a joint resolution through the House and through the Senate to talk to ALDOT and say we need to start a study. And we did that. We passed that study, so they would have to prioritize and study what improvements are needed for additional capacity on I-65. And that was on the Alabama-Tennessee state line all the way down to the Gulf Coast beaches and the Port of Mobile."
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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