Two fatal accidents along Highway 45 in the past month have renewed urgency among Washington County residents and officials calling for the dangerous roadway to be made safer.
More than 75 people have been killed over the past five years along the roughly 60 miles of U.S. Highway 45 that run through Alabama, according to local officials. Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer said traffic has at least doubled along the corridor in the last two to three years, and he has spent years trying to get the attention of state leaders in Montgomery.
Among those pushing for change is Liz Outlaw, who lost her granddaughter, Hannah Wright, in March. Wright was a passenger in a car that, police said, failed to stop at the intersection of University and Highway 45. Outlaw is asking for a flashing light or lights at the crossing where her granddaughter was killed.
Stringer said he recently sent a letter about his concerns to Gov. Kay Ivey, who referred the matter to the Alabama Department of Transportation. State Representatives Shane Stringer and Brett Easterbrook are also working to schedule a meeting with the governor and the ALDOT director.
In a statement, ALDOT said it has a system to rank the state’s two-lane roads by deficiency. While U.S. 45 ranks lower because of its total traffic count and the high cost — estimated above $300 million — to widen it, the agency acknowledged the need to reduce crashes. ALDOT said it plans to analyze locations for turn lanes to cut down on rear-end collisions from left turns, and to add pavement scoring along the centerline to warn drivers who drift across it. The agency said there are no current plans to widen the highway but it will keep working with local officials to improve safety.
Both Outlaw and Stringer said they have no intention of giving up the fight, and urged drivers to use caution on what Stringer called a very dangerous highway.