From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE –Officials with the Alabama Department of Transportation refused to comment on the record regarding a proposed elevated roadway above U.S. Highway 11 to alleviate traffic congestion in Trussville, but sources say the road is a done deal.
The elevated roadway would extend from Interstate 459 to Deerfoot Parkway with exit ramps at the Pinnacle, Tutwiler Farms, Sherman Oaks, Chalkville Road and Deerfoot Parkway. It was originally designed by state engineer Jack McPululegg for Highway 280, but the design was never used after complaints from Mountain Brook residents who thought it was unsightly.
“We owe Trussville something special after taking seven years to complete the greenway project at Civitan Park,” an ALDOT employee who spoke on the condition that he remain anonymous because he is not authorized to comment on the project. “We hear the complaints about Highway 11 becoming another 280 and we’re going to do something to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The elevated highway will not have any traffic signals, giving commuters a straight, uninterrupted route from one end to the other, allowing drivers to sail over the Highway 11 congestion. The road will be for Trussville residents only.
“If we opened it up to everyone, it would be as congested as Highway 11 and that wouldn’t be fair to Trussville people. We’ll approve up to four vehicle passes to each family, but they must be able to prove they’re residents of Trussville.”
Asked why only the Tutwiler Farms and Sherman Oaks subdivisions would receive an exit ramp and not other neighborhoods, the ALDOT employee said it was a matter of tradition and priority.
“We gave Tutwiler their own red light 27 years ago and now everybody on Highway 11 uses it,” he said. “It’s just hard on them having to share it and now that new shopping center will be using it, too. It isn’t fair to those poor folks. Giving them a private exit ramp just makes sense. As for Sherman Oaks, four city councilmen have relatives living in that neighborhood.”
One new element McPuluegg added to the Trussville road that was not included in the original 280 design are “food stop intervals” placed at each mile marker.
“Basically, the food stop intervals will be in the center, between north and south lanes, for food trucks,” he said. “There will be one about every mile, or so. We’ll start by bringing food trucks in on Fridays and commuters can pull up to a drive-thru window and take dinner home to their family. If it goes over well, we’ll add days for the food trucks.”
With the state legislature currently in session, funding for the project is expected to be approved next week. Calls to local representatives were not immediately returned.
Asked for a time estimate on the project, the state official was non-committal.
“You know, we had an 18 month timeline for Civitan Park and that was in 2010,” he said. “This is a lot more labor intensive, but I’m confident we’ll have it wrapped up by the 12th of never or, at the latest, April Fools Day.”