Northern Beltline
Stopping sprawl, protecting rural lands and clean water
ALDOT suspends project after SELC urges restraint
In a detailed letter to the Corps of Engineers last week, SELC said that ALDOT was attempting an end-run around federal environmental law by seeking a Corps permit to build a section of the proposed Northern Beltline before all the studies are in.
In a significant victory for SELC and our partners, ALDOT withdrew its permit application today and told the Birmingham News that it will wait until finishing its re-evaluation of the project before proceeding.
ALDOT was seeking a wetlands-disturbance permit from the Corps for a 3.4-mile segment of the proposed 52-mile beltline, in hopes of beginning construction asap. But "segmenting" a project this way defies the purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act goal of assessing the full and cumulative impacts of a major project and alternatives.
ALDOT last conducted an environmental analysis of the project years ago, and is now re-evaluating the impacts of the project. SELC and Black Warrior Riverkeeper intend to keep ALDOT's feet to the fire in terms of conducting a thorough analysis.
See our comments to the Corps of Engineers.
Case Summary
The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is proposing to build a 52-mile bypass north of Birmingham, called the Northern Beltline, for the sole purpose of bringing development to that area. But the interstate project poses a significant threat to the headwaters of the Black Warrior and Cahaba rivers, which provide drinking water to Birmingham and harbor an impressive array of fish and aquatic species.
SELC and our Alabama partners are working to persuade ALDOT to factor in all the relevant impacts and assess alternatives to building this massive highway, as is required by law. However, the agency continued pushing for this misguided project, and in April 2011, we filed suit on behalf of the Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
Northern Beltline is a Transportation Dinosaur
The Northern Beltline was first planned a half century ago, when building bypasses around metro areas and coaxing suburban sprawl out into rural areas was fashionable. Today, transportation experts increasingly recognize the built-in liabilities of bypasses- declining downtowns, loss of open space, impaired water quality, sprawl and increased traffic and smog. They also understand that highway projects don’t automatically generate or guarantee economic growth.
Despite the fact that many powerful political and development interests continue pushing for the highway, the Northern Beltline is not a done deal. The project is based on flawed and illegal analyses. Citizens have not been provided an honest assessment of alternatives that are less expensive and less environmentally damaging.
One of the Most Expensive Highways Ever
The beltline’s estimated cost has now risen to a staggering $4.7 billion dollars, a 38% increase in just a couple of years. At about $90 million per mile, it would be one of the most expensive highways in the U.S., where a 6-lane rural interstate averages just $7 million per mile.
Roughly $3.7 billion of the beltline’s cost is earmarked to come from the federal government; at a time when Washington is wrestling with hard choices about controlling the deficit and ensuring basic services, spending this amount of money on an unnecessary, destructive and illegal highway is folly.
Further, Alabama taxpayers would be on the hook for the remaining $1 billion - which approaches ALDOT’s annual construction budget for the entire state. So while this "road to nowhere" would threaten Birmingham’s downtown and the region’s natural resources, other communities around the state would see safety improvements and other transportation needs go unfunded.
We are confident that a full, legally compliant environmental assessment will reveal wiser choices for the Birmingham region.