Today Governor Robert Bentley announced plans for a road project at Highland Home School. The primary purpose of this project is to alleviated school traffic congestion and increase the on-campus delivery and pick-up capacity. The near $200,000 project will be funded entirely by the State. (Tune in to WSFA and WAKA tonight for more.)
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| Safety First Yours Truly gives the explains to Governor Bentley the need to provide for a safe entry and exit. |
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| The Governor makes the announcement from the Mac Crenshaw Memorial Airport in Greenville. |
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| Chairman of the Crenshaw County Commissioner Ricky McElwain, Yours Truly, Representative Charles Newton, and County Engineer Benjie Sanders |
Moreover, on Thursday, May
15, 2014, yours truly met with members of the Seventh Division and its Engineer, Mr. Mike
Griffin. The team's recommendations were as follows:
- The Alabama Seventh Division would create a southbound turn lane on U.S. Highway 331 onto the New Bethel Church Road.
- The Crenshaw County Highway Department would refurbish a portion of the New Bethel Road.
- Highland Home School's drive at the entrance from New Bethel Road (near the Press Box) would be widen to the girls’ weight room. An area from New Bethel Road, to the gym, behind the ag shop and in front of the school, would be re-striped.
We are most appreciative of
the Governor Bentley, Director Cooper and the State for their generosity.
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| Turn lane denoted in orange on U.S. Hwy. 331, New Bethel Road denoted with white turn signage, and HHS pattern for drop-off and pick up denoted with orange and white striping |
Persistence and Patience Pays
On November 8, 2013, yours truly requested a meeting with Governor Robert Bentley regarding the traffic congestion near Highland Home School. The request was given to Mr. John Cooper, Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation,
On December 5, 2013, I preempted the meeting with the Mr. John Cooper with a letter first thanking him for taking time to meet with officials from
Crenshaw County regarding the U.S. Highway 331 construction project near
Highland Home School. The following project information was given to Mr. Cooper.
- Highland Home School has an enrollment of nearly 800 students in grades preschool through 12. School population increased 5% between the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.
- There are 75 employees at Highland Home School.
- There are 11 regular bus routes at Highland Home School.
- Approximately 50% of students ride private vehicles.
- Depending on the occasion, there may be over 1,000 persons on campus.
- Nearly all persons exit through one egress, including, but not limited to, all buses twice daily.
Item of
Concern- Safety
There is limited line-of-sight: Entering 331 from
the school exit, line-of-sight on a clear day is 0.25 miles to 0.5 miles. A similar issue
exists for patrons of: Dollar General,
First Citizens Bank, Citgo, BP, It Don’t Matter Restaurant, and ACME Propane. There is no turning lane. Vehicles back-up
on U.S. Highway 331 both prior to school beginning and ending. Depending on the
time of year, the traffic back-up can exceed 1 mile. Traffic congestion is everyday and seasonal. U.S. Highway 331
is a main thoroughfare to vacation destinations. Beyond the day-to-day safety concerns and
difficulty, spring break traffic escalates the hazardous conditions. Recent daily
traffic totals are 6,018 below Highland Home School and 4,806 above the
school. However, these totals are not
inclusive of the volume between County Road 68 and Alabama Highway 97, of which
it is suspected to be traveled considerably more than other areas. The school and its classrooms are in close proximity
to U.S. Highway 331. Relevant to the
south end of the Office Building, brick to asphalt distance is 75 feet. Relevant to the
north end of the Library Building, brick to asphalt distance is 73 feet. Sidewalks are adjacent to the asphalt with no buffer. The speed limit within 75 feet of the school is 55
miles per hour for 90% of the school day. On Tuesday, November 26, 2013, there was an accident
with a bus and a northbound commuter in front of the school. While principal of Highland Home School, I
witnessed an accident between a southbound transfer truck and a student
pick-up. A student was ejected from the
rear of the truck onto U.S. Highway 3331. Fortunately,
there were no fatalities in either case. A gas main that serves the entire community is
adjacent to the sidewalk. It bears mentioning that the Crenshaw County Board of
Education has used local resources to provide a school resource officer for the
past several years to assist with traffic control.
Item of
Concern- Economy
Crenshaw County is home of 3 Hyundai suppliers: SMART LLC employs
over 700, Dongwon LLC
employs over 300, and Chowel LLC employs
over 100. All of the
aforementioned have planned expansions this coming year. SMART, Hyundai’s largest automotive parts supplier
with a capacity to produce parts for 400,000 cars per year, ships via 150
trucks per day. It is estimated
that per the automotive suppliers, more than 200 trucks use this highway daily. Crenshaw County’s agriculture, forestry and related industry
attributes over $200 million to the county’s economy employing nearly 1,800
persons. Of this economy, over 96% is
ascribed to the poultry and egg commodities.
Timberland accounts for nearly 80% of the surface land area of the
county. It is estimated
that 10% of all traffic volume in the Highland Home community is credited to
trucking. Tourism is a vital source of income. The Alabama
Department of Tourism estimates that travelers spend $9 billion dollars
annually. In 2010, over
$662 million of state and local tax revenues were generated by travel and
tourism activities. The shortest
route from Montgomery to the beach is via U.S. Highway 331. From Montgomery
to: Santa Rosa via U.S. Highway 331- 154 miles (predominantly 2 lane), Panama City via
231- 181 miles (all 4 lane), Pensacola Beach
via Interstate 65, 113, and U.S. Highway 29- 173 miles (combination 2 and 4 lane), and Gulf Shores via
65 and 59- 188 miles (all 4 lane).
Those involved in the efforts were as follows: Senator Bryan Taylor, Representative Charles Newton, Senator Dick Brewbaker, Robyn Snellgrove- President and
CEO of the Crenshaw County Economic Industrial Development Authority, Ricky McElwain- Chairman of
the Crenshaw County Commission, Gary Sport- Administrative
and of Human Resources General Manager SMART AL, LLC, Steve Sanders- President of
the Crenshaw County Chamber of Commerce, and Benjie Sanders- Crenshaw
County Engineer. On behalf of the students, parents and staff of HHS, we thank you all!
