The Birmingham Northern Beltline would run roughly 52 miles through forests and wetlands that are home to multiple endangered species.
The Alabama Department of Transportation is requesting permission to fill 1.36 acres of wetlands and over 10,000 linear feet of streams as part of the Birmingham Northern Beltline highway expansion project, reports Dennis Pillion in Inside Climate News.
According to Pillion, "The total project is expected to be around 52 miles long. It will pass through thousands of acres of forest and include approximately 90 river or stream crossings over tributaries to the Cahaba and Black Warrior rivers." It is one of the most expensive highway projects in the country, with costs projected to top $5.4 billion and aims to fully surround Birmingham with interstate highways as part of an economic development initiative.
However, a 2010 study from the University of Alabama showed that predictions of an economic boom were “massively overstated.” Matthew Metzgar, author of a 2024 report from the Southern Environmental Law Center, said "Nothing really warrants putting in this massive 52-mile road, again, in a mostly rural area, that there’s just no demand for it."
Read the full story: Alabama Seeks Permit to Fill Wetlands, Streams for Controversial Highway Project
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