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I-759 Extension rebranded in effort to get state, local funding

Started by afguy, January 11, 2020, 10:46:23 PM

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afguy

QuoteDiscussions of extending Interstate 759 to U.S. Highway 431 have been held in the community for years. Those discussions still continue, but after a recent meeting with between local and state officials, they will do so without calling it an interstate.

The I-759 Extension project is now referred to as the Gadsden Eastern Connector, according to members of the Gadsden-Etowah Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

During a meeting on Thursday, members said the project was renamed in order to make the extension more likely to become a reality – although a recent development in the community may provide an unexpected hurdle in the project.

Interstate highways are federal roadways, which means that such roads require communities to meet strict criteria during construction while dealing with federal funds.

″[We] removed the designation of it being called the I-759 Extension because that complicated it more with it being an interstate extension,"  said Curtis Vincent, North Region engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation. "So now we're referring to it as the Eastern Connector, which will allow us to put state moneys or other moneys towards it and not have to jump through the hoops and hurdles that we would if it were an interstate."
https://www.gadsdentimes.com/news/20200109/i-759-extension-rebranded-in-effort-to-get-state-local-funding


wriddle082

Will the 759 corridor ever be extended west to bypass Attalla?  The 59/759 junction was built with a western extension in mind, and I recall 431 through Attalla being a bit of a pain.

Tom958

The last time this came up was in 2017, and by then it was emphatically not an Interstate, not a freeway, but a six-lane arterial with intersections at George Wallace Drive and US 278 and 431 at their current intersection, plus RIRO's at a few local streets. Plan view: http://www.cityofgadsden.com/DocumentCenter/View/1468/Map-of-759-Proposed-Route?bidId=

The Ghostbuster

What do the locals have to say about an Interstate 759 extension in either direction? Has there been significant support or significant opposition to this project?



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