Road upgrades urged due to BRAC
On D.C. visit, local leaders told state must help pay cost
Monday, May 01, 2006
There are thousands of defense-related jobs en route to Huntsville. Now, are the roads in good enough condition to get those new federal workers to their jobs at Redstone Arsenal?
The area's infrastructure was a primary issue last week when about 175 local government and business leaders made their annual trip to Washington.
When the local delegation made the trip last year, the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission had yet to make its final recommendations.
This year, the group met with House and Senate leaders knowing that BRAC-related moves are expected to bring about 4,700 federal jobs to Huntsville.
"It was a different meeting in that it was not a matter of if, but when and what's necessary to make the moves happen as soon as possible," said Dave Hargrove, chairman of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.
"BRAC is now law and will have to be implemented. The jobs are coming here and we have to look at what that means," Hargrove said. "Do we have the capacity here to accommodate dramatic growth?"
Hargrove said the issue of road projects came up time and time again during question-and-answer sessions.
He said local leaders are discussing ways to raise awareness in Montgomery "about the immense challenges ahead in infrastructure in North Alabama."
"One issue that stuck out above all others is that Washington is telling us that Montgomery needs to be paying more attention to where the dollars are going," Hargrove said. "Our senators and representatives have sent the dollars to Montgomery, and it's up to the governor and state legislators on how to spend that money.
"We believe we're generating a lot of economic development in this state and that we should be seeing more transportation dollars."
According to Hargrove, the top project right now is the $600 million Southern Bypass, also called Patriot Parkway, which will provide better access to Redstone Arsenal. Another top priority is the Interstate 565 extension into Decatur.
"Gov. Riley has been good to North Alabama, and he has to represent the entire state," Hargrove said. "It's a matter of priorities.
"If, indeed, this is the most significant economic-development project in Alabama history, certainly in our lifetime here, we're having difficulty understanding why our infrastructure needs up here are not carrying a higher priority in Montgomery."
The local group met with representatives of the military commands that have jobs moving to Redstone, including the Missile Defense Agency, the Army Materiel Command and the Army Space & Missile Defense Command.
"We were given more concrete information about what to expect in terms of timelines and the natural effect on infrastructure," said Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks, who's a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.
Brooks said the first significant number of jobs will come during the next two years, and will taper off after four years.
"We have a two-year window where we can expect a significant number of jobs to open up in Huntsville - many of which will be filled by transfers and many positions that will open up for Alabama residents," he said.
Brooks also said the Department of Transportation should be more receptive to North Alabama's needs, and local governments need to find more dollars to devote to road construction.
"Roads are always a major issue, and unfortunately the typical needs for greatest help are federal highways," Brooks said. "But Alabama 53, Ardmore Highway, has had explosive growth and the state needs to do its part to turn it into a four-lane road. It would be better if it had been done yesterday."
Area roads said left out
Brooks said that in his travels around the state, he doesn't see other heavily used roads like Winchester Road or Alabama 53 with just two lanes. "Everybody else with traffic counts that high have four lanes," he said.
And road transportation isn't the only concern. Huntsville's air market lost a low-cost carrier this year when Independence Air shut down.
"That's a concern to everyone, but ultimately the flight options are driven by supply and demand," Brooks said. "If we provide enough passengers, the airlines will come, but not until then. BRAC will result in a significant increase in passenger travel - how much is anybody's guess."
Mike Ward, the vice president of governmental affairs with the chamber, said the meetings with representatives from the Army commands provided a clearer sense on timing for the job moves. He said the moves won't be completed until at least 2010.
He said local leaders and government officials are focusing on three areas as the BRAC process unfolds.
Selling the Tennessee Valley to people not familiar with the region.
Making sure the moves are adequately funded so that money is available to build facilities and keep plans on the right track.
Preparing the community for the influx of new jobs.
"If we're lucky, 50 percent of those offered might accept to move here," Ward said. "With 5,000 jobs, that's 2,500 that would be empty. What can we start doing now to develop a work force that can support that?"
Local action called for
Madison County Commissioner Bob Harrison came away from Washington optimistic about Huntsville's future, but concerned about what the area needs to do next.
"I don't think people have really grasped the significance of what's about to happen here - the whole concept of new jobs, new areas of responsibility," Harrison said Friday. "Then, there's the residual spinoffs - the service jobs to support the mainline jobs. It's extremely overwhelming, almost to the point of being frightening.
"The real concern is: What if we're not proactive in plans to accommodate all these new jobs?"
Instead of relying on Montgomery for road support, Harrison said, the area needs to find ways to raise more local money to match federal funding.
"We can't afford to leave the burden on Montgomery," he said.
BRAC will lead to bigger and better things for the county, Harrison said. "Are we going to get ahead of the curve or be in the mode of constantly trying to catch up with schools and roads that are already overcrowded?"
In addition to roads, Harrison said the growth and expansion could put a severe strain on existing public needs.
"We've got fundamental qualities of life that have to be addressed from a very critical point of view," Harrison said. "We're in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded and a chance to hit a home run. We've got to have our best batter in the box.
"But I don't know that we've got the level of awareness of all elected city and county officials as to what's about to occur."
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