EUFAULA, Ala. (AP) - The Historic Columbus Foundation has joined an ongoing effort to prevent a road widening project in the eastern Alabama town of Eufaula.
Travelers heading through southeast Alabama to Florida Panhandle beaches have a four-lane road the entire way except for a half-mile stretch in Eufaula that narrows to two lanes and is filled with Southern mansions and giant oaks.
Now the town finds itself in a battle of Southern charm vs. traffic congestion as the state considers a plan to widen U.S. 431 and remove some trees. Opponents to the idea of widening the highway have said the move would be a blow to the town’s heritage, charm and the tourism associated with it.
Historic Columbus Executive Director Elizabeth Barker is asking the nearly 2,000 Historic Columbus members to sign an online petition for Save North Eufaula Avenue. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported (https://bit.ly/1wrzRKw) that thousands of people had signed the petition as of Thursday afternoon.
“You’ve driven through Eufaula on your way to the beach hundreds of times - and yes, experienced traffic in the middle of downtown,” Barker said in her petition. “Did you care? Sure, for a few minutes. But, was it enough to make a drastic change for this historic town?”
Eufaula Mayor Jack Tibbs has said the tourism created by the town’s historic district is too valuable to risk destroying for a widened highway.
However, Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper has said the state has already spent $150 million to complete four-lane stretches of U.S. 431 from Interstate 95 to the Florida line, and the highway is too important for the state not to address the bottleneck in Eufaula’s historic area.
Cooper wrote in a letter to Tibbs that ALDOT officials are only discussing the prospect of widening U.S. 431, and the department hasn’t made any effort to begin the project. The newspaper reported that ALDOT’s study is expected to continue through Labor Day.
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Information from: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, https://ledger-enquirer.com
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