SHELBY COUNTY, Alabama -- Historical records show ferry routesacross the Coosa River connecting Talladega and Shelby counties pre-dating theCivil War, with most recently the two operating a boat linking their shoresbetween 1965 and 1977 just east of Columbiana.
But for the past several years, thetwo counties have been at odds over plans for a bridge that Talladega leaderspropose to solely fund and construct at the old Perkins Landing ferry routethat linked the east bank's Russell Chapel Road to Shelby County Road 28 fromColumbiana on the western edge.
Litigation pitting the two counties even resulted overthe land that connects County Road 28 to the Coosa River during the 2000s, withthe property ending up in private hands. "It's a squabble between two countiesas I see it, and I kind of got caught in the middle of the deal," said Arthur LeePerkins, who owns the strip of land that had been County Road 28 before theferry ceased operations.
Perkins and Talladega County representatives support thebridge that would connect through his property. Shelby County officials, citingtraffic concerns and road improvements, remain opposed.
A tax that has generated about $6 million toward theeffort has been in place since 2000 in Talladega County, where leaders say the bridgewould stimulate the economy and grow industry in the area by providing a moredirect southern access to Interstate 65.
"The driving factor is, number one, we feel like a closeraccess to I-65 on the south end of the county would give us similar resultsthat we've had on the northern end of the county with the I-20 access," said TalladegaCounty Commissioner Jimmy Roberson, who represents the district with the bridge'slocation.
"I know without a shadow of a doubt Talladega Superspeedwaywould not be here today if it was not for the access to I-20," Roberson said. "Theyhave been the financial backbone of this county for many, many years. ... Wewouldn't have the roughly 4,000 jobs at Honda Manufacturing that we have todayif it wasn't for the I-20 exchange."
Talladega County wants to see the same happen in itssouthern portion with closer access to Interstate 65 that runs through ShelbyCounty. The distance from Fayetteville in Talladega County to the interstatewould shrink by 10 miles -- still a 30-mile trip -- with the bridge.
"We just feel like it would open the doors for severaldifferent opportunities. We also feel like on our side with residentialproperty values, those will increase and we feel like it will do the same thingon the Shelby County side," Roberson said.
Shelby County representatives have several strong concernsabout the proposal, including increased traffic on a narrow road that will needsubstantial improvements costing millions. There are concerns about large-trucktraffic into downtown Columbiana directly in front of Shelby County HighSchool.
"It's really all tied to the road issue, which is tied tothe safety issue," said Shelby County Commissioner Corley Ellis, a Columbianaresident.
Some pointed out that County Road 28 in front of the highschool has a tricky Y-intersection that would prove troublesome with increased traffic."That intersection is a bad intersection already," Ellis said, noting therecould be a ban imposed on heavy-truck traffic through the area, "but thenyou've got to police it."
"It just opens up a whole bunch of issues, but it's alltied to safety and traffic," Ellis said, noting the county is also not willingto financially contribute. "We are not in a position to spend on it, either. ...We don't have the money."
The end of Shelby County Road 28 near the western edge of the Coosa River by Columbiana is a private road that would need upgrades if a bridge connecting to Talladega County comes to fruition. (Martin J. Reed / mreed@al.com)
Shelby County Engineer Randy Cole said County Road 28 isnot built for the truck traffic, while the intersection in front of Shelby CountyHigh School is "not acceptable" for increased vehicles with the bridge. "Thereare literally millions of dollars of improvements that would need to be done byTalladega County at their expense in Shelby County, and they're not financiallyable to do that," he said.
Roberson said Talladega County would fund the bridge thatwould cost tens of millions, but it could not build roads in Shelby County. "I'munder the opinion Talladega County cannot take our tax dollars and improveShelby County's highways," he said.
Although truck traffic could turn south onto Alabama Highway145 before Columbiana and travel to Interstate 65 in Clanton, Cole said roadimprovements in Shelby County remain necessary. "We could not grant a permitwithout plans for them to spend substantial money upgrading Shelby Countyroads," he said in an e-mail.
The issue generated renewed discussion in recent monthsamong the counties, resulting in Cole suggesting an alternate route for anarrower crossing to the north near Alabama Power's E. C. Gaston Steam Plantproperty in Wilsonville from McGowan's Ferry Road.
Talladega County leaders held two public meetings lastmonth to get feedback on the second route. The consensus: It's too close to theexisting Highway 280 crossing while the proximity to the steam plant createsproblems.
"The concept of a bridge across the Coosa River in southTalladega County has potential developmental benefits that Alabama Powersupports," Alabama Power Area Manager Steve Hildebrant said in a statementprovided to AL.com.
"However, the proposed McGowan's Ferry Bridge site goesdirectly through E.C. Gaston Steam Plant property, including the plant coalpile. Obviously, the development of this site would have a major impact on oursteam plant operations and would be very costly to build. This site would alsoimpact project lands set aside for specific use in the Coosa River FederalEnergy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license," Hildebrant said.
Cole also wants input from leaders of the affected ShelbyCounty communities of Columbiana and Wilsonville. "We just like to know thecities that it's going to directly affect are willing to support their proposedroute," he said.
Wilsonville Mayor Lee McCarty said he has been in thedark on a possible bridge near his community. "Nobody from Talladega County hastalked to me," he said.
"I would say that I really don't have an opinion at thispoint other than if it was done right and came at the right place and didn'tmess up Wilsonville, then I'd be for it. And if any of the above things wentawry, I would be against it," McCarty said.
Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley said he is trying toweigh the traffic concerns with the bridge's benefits. "I have several citizenshere in Columbiana who have expressed to me they would like for us to do whatwe can do to make that bridge happen," he said.
"I am pro the bridge if we can make it where it doesn'tturn into an inconvenient or dangerous traffic situation for my citizens," hesaid. "It's a project that could be done if everyone gets their minds togetherand no one can be too adamant about what everyone originally thought."
Deviating from the initial proposal is another obstacleconsidering the 2000 legislation authorizing a portion of the 2 percent tax inTalladega County's unincorporated area for the bridge specified the old PerkinsLanding ferry site.
"Even if the additional route at the steam plant ... hadbeen positive, we would have still had another hurdle going back to our statedelegation and getting them to amend the House bill," Roberson said, notingthat already $1 million has been spent on design work at the original site.
"From a financial standpoint, me personally, I feel likethat would be money wasted if we considered another location as well," he said.
The original site proposal hasn't had a traffic study forabout 15 years, Talladega County Engineer Tim Markert said. "There was oneyears ago. It's kind of hard to predict what kind of traffic" would result, hesaid.
Roberson said new evidence to support a bridge may be inorder. "The only thing that seems to be a strong interest on our side of theriver at this time is maybe to do this study we're talking about with highwaytraffic and trying to move forward with that and provide that to businessleaders on both sides of the river," he said.
Fellow Commissioner Greg Atkinson remains optimistic that aresolution with Shelby County can be reached. “What we would like to have is anagreement for us to work together to try to overcome these issues,” he said. “Wejust have to put our heads together and have a genuine willingness to worktogether. The benefits aren’t just for Talladega County. The benefits are overthere too.”