ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



ALDOT FORMS U.S. 98 COMMUNITY OUTREACH GROUP



MONTGOMERY, Alabama, June 11, 2008 – A citizen group, designed to serve as a link between local communities and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) regarding the new U.S. 98 project, has now been formed. Plans to organize the Community Outreach Group (COG) were first announced by ALDOT at a public meeting in March.



Applications were reviewed and members selected by an independent panel consisting of representatives from the Mobile County Commission, the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Agency.



“We believe the COG will be helpful in keeping the community informed about the progress being made on the project, as well as allowing us to receive meaningful input from the residents,” said Tony Harris, special assistant to the transportation director. “The COG will help us communicate with the residents as we continue our work on the project.”



The COG representatives will learn about technical aspects of road construction and provide feedback and insight from the community. The COG will periodically tour the site and be briefed about the scope of the project, technical issues encountered, and steps taken to resolve environmental and construction concerns.



Members of the COG are Charles Bowman, Ernie Brannan, Alvin Hutchinson, Fred Kelly, Billy Lucas, Ruby Stringfellow, Judson Webb, Bethany Kraft of the Alabama Coastal Foundation and Barbara Shaw of the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System.



The group held its initial meeting on May 15 where they were provided a project history and overview, Harris said. ALDOT initiated a similar group about five years ago for a project in Montgomery.



Harris said the Mobile group will probably meet once a month initially, but the members will dictate a timetable for future sessions. “We can provide technical consultants, as well as ALDOT personnel to provide them answers to any questions they may have,” Harris said. “We also plan to hold additional community-wide meetings to share the same information about the Highway 98 project with other residents and stakeholders.”



ALDOT has developed a web site (www.safe98.org) where anyone can go for the latest project information and progress reports, as well as a toll-free hotline (866-253-8864) to get answers to any questions they may have about the project.



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Tony W. Harris

Special Assistant to the Transportation Director

Governmental Relations Manager

ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Montgomery, Alabama

(334) 242-6552 Office

(334) 262-8041 Fax

harrist@dot.state.al.us E-mail

www.dot.state.al.us Internet