The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and contractor Figg Engineering have proposed an $800 million expansion of U.S. 280, with the construction of a 10-lane Atlanta-style freeway from the Elton Stephens Expressway to Dolly Ridge Road, then an elevated freeway from near Dolly Ridge to Eagle Point in Shelby County. Four lanes of the expanded highway would be tolled the length of the corridor.
ReThink280 believes there are better, more cost-effective alternatives that would ease U.S. 280 traffic congestion without damaging the health and economic viability of communities along the corridor. We can and we must do better!
Click below to view the latest ReThink280 presentations:Hoover City Council (April 1)
Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook City Councils (March 22nd)
Birmingham City Council (March 9th)
ReThink280 Philosophy: Rethink the need to spend $800 million to solve a problem that can be remedied for far less money and without reliance on projected future toll revenues. Rethink the catastrophic effect that a 10-lane, partially elevated superhighway will have on the adjoining commercial and residential areas. Rethink how the existing infrastructure, right-of-way, and street network can be used with lower-impact traffic solutions to alleviate congestion at a substantially lower cost.
ReThink280 Plan: Walter Kulash, a national expert in the field of livable traffic design, has developed a realistic and affordable alternative for ReThink280. The ReThink280 plan incorporates toll-free express lanes and ground-level solutions at less than half the cost of the ALDOT plan. This alternative plan is more environmentally sensitive, more financially feasible, and better positioned for future transit opportunities.
For the western section of the U.S. 280 corridor (EBS Expressway to I-459), ReThink280 proposes 4 toll-free “express” lanes (free from traffic signals and turning movements) within the current footprint and right-of-way of the highway. A series of grade separations would accommodate the express lanes and permit two or more outer “local” lanes to connect to the existing local street network without impeding through traffic. Compact interchanges over short sections of depressed roadway would support both "through" traffic and local trips at a ground-level scale.
ReThink280's plan for the eastern part of the corridor (I-459 to Eagle Point), where the roadway must accommodate the highest traffic capacities and provide easier access to local businesses, proposes a 4-lane expressway in the center of the highway that would be recessed under key intersections and have no traffic lights. Lanes for local traffic and exits are on the outside of the express lanes. Local businesses are served by frontage roads connecting from elongated split diamond interchanges. This solution keeps local traffic moving and local businesses visible, even as the through traffic proceeds unimpeded. It also creates valuable new business locations along the frontage roads and provides exciting opportunities for transit-focused redevelopment.
Overall, the plan offered by ReThink280 presents the primary benefit promised by the elevated highway and 10-lane freeway -- uninterrupted traffic flow -- BUT at a fraction of the cost and WITHOUT the addition of 4 new lanes or reliance on unknown future toll revenues. Most significantly, the ReThink280 plan accomplishes this goal WITHOUT damaging nearby homes and businesses or bypassing entire communities and commercial properties.
How do I get involved?
- Visit our Web site -- www.ReThink280.org -- for more information and the latest news.
- Sign the petition while you’re there and encourage others to do so.
- Contact representatives of your local government and tell them you think we can do better than the ALDOT plan.
- Educate friends and neighbors about the negative impact of the ALDOT plan on our local tax base and the health of our communities.
ALDOT’s current plan is costly, sprawl-inducing, unsustainable, and damaging to commercial and residential interests alike. Take action today to oppose this fast-tracked project and speak out for a sensible solution!