Pushing Toll Roads For Alabama.

Governor Bob Riley is becoming more aggressive about pushing the idea of toll roads as a possible solution to finding funding for new road construction pojects starting with the proposed bypass which would cross Redstone Arsenal connecting I565 with South Memorial Parkway near Hobbs Island Road. Apparently $1 million has been allocated for a study of to determine the feasibility of this proposed project as a toll road. My first thought was that the cost of this study is pretty high, but the company doing the study is expected to propose a projected toll which will cover construction costs.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization last week amended the area's transportation improvement plan to add $1 million to the high-priority and congressional section.

The MPO is a group of area officials who set priorities for transportation projects. Any transportation project that receives federal money must be in the MPO's plans.

[snip]

Steve Dinges, an assistant director of the Huntsville Planning Department, told the MPO Wednesday that the state DOT has selected URS Corp. to do the study but doesn't have a finished contract that sets a cost for the study.

Dinges said the state would provide $800,000 of federal highway money and $200,000 of state highway money for the study.

I've only recently begun to follow local city and county politics, but I've never heard of the "Metropolitan Planning Organization" until I read this article. So, who are the forward thinkers proposing to charge us for the use of the "Patriot Parkway"? After reading the article I'm still not sure who the members of the MPO are, but here may be a clue, again from Sunday's Huntsville Times:

Madison Mayor Sandy Kirkindall, an MPO member, asked about such a large amount of money for a study.

"It's a real sophisticated study," Dinges said.

MPO member Johnny Harris, the DOT Division 1 engineer, said, "They usually come up with what the toll would have to be to pay for the project."

Harris, Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, Huntsville City Councilman Bill Kling and Owens Cross Roads Mayor Curtis Craig voted to amend the plan to include the $1 million. Kirkindall abstained.

I'm going to do some checking and see if I can't find out the composition of the MPO. There has been some talk of toll roads for some time, but I just now see this really getting some press play. My first thought is that our community leaders will be sorely disappointed if they have to rely on local residents to support such a drastic move as a toll road to move people across Redstone Arsenal. I guess the cost of the toll will become the telling fact, but I have found this area to be notoriously cheap and I will be very surprised at widespread support for this project!