Eufaula family grateful for U.S. 431 work

Patrick Johnston
Media General News Service

EUFAULA -  Sydney Lucas only has a few memories of her mother, Angel.
She was only 2 1/2 years old when her mother died in a two-vehicle wreck on U.S. 431. The wreck occurred Sept. 18, 2000, just south of Pittsview.

Yet, Sydney in many ways is just like her mother.

Family photographs are proof. So are little idiosyncrasies the two share, such as mixing peas and potatoes together on their dinner plates.

Sydney, now a fourth-grader, is a student at Parkview Christian School. She makes A’s and B’s, enjoys reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books and wants to be a scientist when she grows up. When she’s not reading, she’s often in the backyard with her 10-year-old horse, Buddy.
Angel was also an equally talented student. Though she dropped out of high school, she later earned her GED.

She had nearly completed studies at Wallace College and dreamed of earning an engineering degree from a four-year college so she could be self-supporting.

At the time of her death, Angel was on her way back from visiting Auburn University. She would have been accepted to Auburn if the tragedy had not occurred.

“Education was real important to Angel. She was brilliant,” her mother, Monica Lucas, says.
Through countless stories she’s heard from friends and family members, Sydney knows her mother was a “nice person.”

Seven years later, it’s still difficult for Angel’s parents, Earl and Monica Lucas.
Angel would be 30 years old now.

They do take comfort though in the progress along U.S. 431 in Russell County. The two-lane stretch of road where Angel and so many others have died is being four-laned by the Alabama Department of Transportation.

The contract for the third and final phase of the project was awarded to APAC of Dothan last month, DOT spokesperson Tony Harris said this week.

“We have everything under contract,” he said. “We’re doing well on our timeline.”

The stretch, which runs 16 miles from the Barbour County line to Seale, will be completed by the end of this decade.

Harris said the projected completion date is winter 2009.

Earl Lucas is pleased with DOT’s progress and commitment to the project.

“I know it’s been a long time coming and a lot of people think it’s a long way off, but there’s been a lot of progress,” he said.

Monica began contacting DOT officials shortly after her daughter’s death, pressing them on why the stretch, which has been featured in Reader’s Digest and the BBC, had not been four-laned.

They soon made contact with DOT director Joe McInnes. After hearing Sydney cry “I want my mommy ... I want my mommy” on the phone, McInnes promised he would make sure the stretch was four-laned.

“If you believe in something and want something done, you have to put pressure on government,” Earl said.

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” Monica added.

The Lucases said McInnes has been a man of his word. At the current construction rate, the stretch will be completed, 10 years after Angel’s death. At one time, they feared it would be 20 years or longer.

They say McInnes has been a godsend regarding the project.

“He’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Monica said.

For now, they’re looking toward the day when the $77 million project is completed.

“I know Angel will be there,” Monica said.

Patrick Johnston is the managing editor of The Eufaula Tribune.