Baldwin County transportation officials explored a potential toll road in 2009 as one option for building a new north-south connector between Interstate 65 and Interstate 10.
The proposed highway was intended to provide another hurricane evacuation route for Baldwin County. Officials were considering three possible routes near Bay Minette, and residents living near those corridors raised concerns about traffic, property impacts and environmental effects.
Funding a major connector
The proposed 20- to 30-mile route was estimated to cost nearly $300 million. Baldwin County sought federal funding, but officials said a toll road was among the alternatives being studied if that funding did not materialize.
Cal Markert of the Baldwin County Highway Department said the county was investigating several approaches to pay for the project. The discussion reflected the scale of the proposed connection and the difficulty of funding new transportation capacity during a period of limited state and local resources.
Property and environmental concerns
Residents near the proposed routes said the highway could run close to homes and through private land. One landowner raised concerns about wetlands and protected gopher tortoises on property that could be affected by a route.
The competing priorities were clear: officials wanted an additional evacuation link and better connectivity between the two interstates, while nearby residents wanted the county to account for the effects on land, traffic and wildlife.
This article records the 2009 proposal and funding discussion. It does not state whether a particular route was ultimately chosen or whether the toll-road option advanced beyond the early planning stage.