Converting U.S. Highway 80 into a four lane highway is a major part of the forward progression of Alabama.

The three-mile area that includes Uniontown and a 23-mile stretch from the Tombigbee River to Cuba are the the only portions of that highway that are not four-laned in Alabama, and Uniontown Mayor Phillip White said a plan is in place to bypass his city.

White said that he has been told by the Alabama Department of Transportation that the expansion would bypass Uniontown from the east side at the city limits to one mile north of Uniontown where highway 80 meets Faunsdale. The bypass would cross County Roads 12 and 26 and Alabama Highway 61.

“We have had public hearings with Alabama Department of Transportation personnel present in Uniontown and came up with a plan to benefit the area,” he added.

Jamie Wallace, president of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, is optimistic about the project.

“The stretch from the Tombigbee to Cuba will be easier to deal with because it is mostly piney, wooded lands. There are not many permanent structures to be moved.”

Wallace explained that eventually Selma, Uniontown and Demopolis will be bypassed, but for now, resolving the Uniontown area and the stretch from the Tombigbee River to the Cuba take precedence.

Area officials have been given the impression that parts of the rural development fund from Hyundai will be used to aid in the development. This would facilitate the shipping of goods to and from the future Hyundai plant.

One of the largest challenges to the project is building a bridge across the Tombigbee River. “It is a major expense. If piers are already present, then a large portion of the proposed cost would be eliminated,” Wallace said.

According to Austin Caldwell, mayor of Demopolis, the piers are there. “The governor at the time when the original bridge was built had the foresight to put additional piers in place.”

Moreover, Caldwell states that he has been a part a focus group initiated by the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission in Camden to help individuals with a vested interest in the project join forces to keep the expansion in the forefront.

“I was in charge of contacting mayors, businesses, and interested parties in Hale, Greene, Marengo, and Sumter counties. I then sent the information back to headquarters to help get the project underway,” he said.

The expansion project is housed under the Alabama Department of Transportation’s five year plan, but a more specific time frame for actual work on expansion could not be given.