Washington County rejects I-10 connector project

With the Florida Panhandle county of Washington deciding Monday to pass on a proposed toll road, organizers say they will continue with the project and are now focusing on Washington’s eastern neighbor, Jackson County.

“You definitely want someone who really wants (the road) there, and we had tried to alleviate the concerns of the people in Washington County,” said Luther Strange, a Birmingham attorney who represents a group that hopes to form a public-private partnership that will lead to the construction of a toll road connecting the Wiregrass with I-10 and possibly south to the Gulf. “But we want it to be where people are interested in economic development.”

Now, Jackson County could represent the road’s last best chance of becoming a reality.

“If it doesn’t work in Jackson County, then the project won’t work, quite frankly,” said Steve Shaw, a member of Focus 2000, a group whose short-term goal is to build a limited access toll road from Midland City to I-10. Long-term, they would like to extend the road north to Montgomery and south to Bay County. Funding and construction would be done privately. In 30 years, the road would be turned over to the counties through which it runs.

Shaw said he is confident Jackson County would support the project.

Washington County held two public meetings about the proposed road and commissioners faced overflow crowds full of residents concerned about eminent domain, the process through which a government entity can take ownership of private land. Other residents were concerned the limited access road would allow traffic to zip through the county without stopping to patronize local merchants. The commission voted 3-2 against entering into an agreement with the toll road organizers to bring the road through the county.

Strange said the toll road group has been in constant contact with officials from Jackson and Bay counties about the possibility of constructing the road there. He said he expects public meetings to be held there soon. No official dates have been set.

Local officials have long held that lack of interstate access has been an obstacle to attracting industry. Focus 2000 members believe the road can provide a magnet for industry as well as easy access from Montgomery to the beaches of the Florida Panhandle.

“We tried to make the case it would be a very good thing for Washington County from an economic standpoint,” Strange said. “Jackson County officials have always been very supportive in our conversations with them.”