In tandem with CBS 42, Weld is investigating the progress of and controversy surrounding the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Northern Beltline project, a proposed multi-billion dollar highway to stretch 52 miles from northeast Jefferson County to a southwestern point near McCalla.
The Beltline has come under fire from the Southern Environmental Law Center for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it will cost over ninety million dollars per mile to construct, a lavish investment in light of Alabama’s current economic state. Moreover, the project would pollute drinking water and upset riverine ecosystems throughout Jefferson County according to Black Warrior Riverkeeper, important issues which seem to concern ALDOT very little.
The SELC and Black Warrior Riverkeeper have withstood criticism themselves from the Jobkeeper Alliance, a Montgomery-based nonprofit that decries the eco-friendly groups as “job-killers” with an “anti-growth agenda.” The SELC also suffered a privacy leak when an unknown party hacked and released confidential personal information for SELC members back in October.
Weld and CBS 42 will keep you up to date on the controversy surrounding the project as details arise. Here’s Sonya DiCarlo’s latest report: