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Conference to focus on four-laning of Highway 84
A group devoted to improving and four-laning U.S. Highway 84 across five states will hold its annual meeting in Monroeville Jan. 13. The El Camino Commission promotes the El Camino East/West Corridor, a 1,729 mile corridor which stretches along Highway 84 from Brunswick, Ga. to El Paso, Texas, traversing the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. "It is the route our forefathers traveled to settle this country," according to Dr. Leland Scoggins, president of the commssion and who has been involved with the project since its inception in 1989. In all, this scenic route passes through the heartland of the Old South, crossing some 48 counties in the southern United States, as well as six Louisiana parishes, impacting directly 1.5 million residents of these areas. When considering the economic impact of the corridor, and taking into account the population base within 75 miles of the corridor, the population impacted by the El Camino project is close to seven million persons. The conference will feature speakers from all five states. Dr. Scoggins, who is chairman of Red River Development in Natchitoches, La., will open the meeting with an overview of the project since 1989. Other speakers include Jim Pratt, Sabine River Authority, Louisiana; Wayne Brown, Commissioner, Miss. Department of Transportation; Gary D. Priester, Georgia Department of Transportation; David Nichols, mayor, Monticello, Mississippi; and Powell Brewton, Dothan, board member of the Five State El Camino East-West Highway Commission. Nichols and Brewton will address the economic impact of the highway on their respective communities. Speakers from Alabama on the program include Joe McInnes, Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation, and George Ray, Director of Planning for the Alabama Department of Transportation. Moderator for the one-day conference is John Clyde Riggs, executive director of the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Planning Commission, which serves 10 counties in central and south Alabama. Bill Cameron, webmaster for the El Camino Web site, will be presenting information on the Web site. "Tourism opportunities abound with a project like this," according to Cameron, who is a master at combining the dual aspects of business and tourism development for the City of Lufkin, Texas. Luncheon speaker is Rep. Seth Hammett, D-Andalusia, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and also director of Economic Development for Alabama Electric Cooperative. He will address the importance of highways and infrastructure for present and future development. The purpose of the January meeting is to communicate overall progress of the five state project, and to gain momentum with bringing the project to completion. In Alabama, the project is in the Five Year Developmental Highway Plan as far west as Monroeville. One goal of the conference is to get the west Alabama portion of El Camino, from Monroeville to the Mississippi line, in the Five Year Plan and thus, on the drawing board for funding. Through the efforts of U.S. Congressman Jo Bonner, Alabama has received $235,000 in federal funding for a corridor study from Evergreen to Monroeville. Bonner has also requested a $6.2 million appropriation in the House’s $ 283 billion version of the reauthorization of the federal highway plan, to go toward the estimated $90 million cost of four laning the Evergreen to Monroeville portion of 84. The Senate version of this bill is presently $318 billion, and it does not include the $6.2 million appropriation. However, the two bills are currently in a conference committee, and there is a possibility that the appropriation will be included in the final bill. In Alabama, counties directly impacted by U.S. Highway 84, the El Camino East-West Corridor are Houston, Dale, Coffee, Covington, Conecuh, Monroe, Clarke and Choctaw. The conference will be held in Monroeville at the city of Monroeville Community House, Whitey Lee Park. There is no charge to attend the conference; however, pre-registration is required in order to ensure adequate seating and food. To register for the conference, or for further information, please contact Sandy Smith at the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce, 251/743-2879.
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