Alabama Sets Road Widening Among Southern Mansions

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Travelers from Alabama to Florida Panhandle beaches could have a smoother route by the spring thanks to a road widening plan. But residents of the Southern mansions lining the last narrow stretch of highway hope to stop the project.

In the town of Eufaula, the fight has been going on since last spring, when transportation workers marked possible boundaries for a widened highway. The iconic two-lane drive of less than a mile through Eufaula’s historic district is the state’s busiest stretch of highway. Traffic backs up more than a mile on some weekends.

The Department of Transportation is advertising for bids to widen the section of U.S. 431. It plans to open bids Dec. 5. Transportation Director John Cooper was scheduled to outline the project for Eufaula residents Tuesday night.

 

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