By Staff
Organizers and supporters of the effort to four lane U. S. Hwy. 84, the El Camino East/West Corridor, will gather in Monroeville on Thursday, Jan. 13, to communicate their progress with this project.
The meeting will be chaired by Dr. Leland Scoggins, president of the five-state El Camino Commission. U. S. Hwy. 84, The El Camino East/West Corridor, is a 1,729 mile corridor which stretches from Brunswick, Ga., to El Paso, Texas, traversing the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. El Camino, or "The Kings Highway" actually goes into Mexico.
In all, this scenic route passes through the heartland of the Old South, crossing some 48 counties in the southern United States, as well as six Louisiana parishes, impacting directly 1.5 million residents of these areas.
When considering the economic impact of the corridor, and taking into account the population base within 75 miles of the corridor, the population impacted by the El Camino project is close to seven million persons. Mississippi Highway Commissioners Butch and Wayne Brown refer to the El Camino project as "a true economic development highway." In the total 1,729 miles of El Camino in the United States, the only two metropolitan areas it intersects are the trade center of Dothan, Alabama, and the Temple-Killen-Belton, Texas area. The remainder of the route is strictly small-town U. S. A., which offers tremendous opportunities for tourism and economic development.
The conference will feature speakers from all five states. Luncheon Speaker is the Honorable Seth Hammett, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, and also Director of Economic Development for Alabama Electric Cooperative. He will address the importance of highways and infrastructure for present and future development.
The conference will be held in Monroeville at the City of Monroeville Community House, Whitey Lee Park. To register for the conference, or for further information, please contact Sandy Smith at the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce, 251/743-2879.