The Coalition for Regional Transportation said Tuesday it expects the developer of the new Bessmer data center to honor the commitment it made to the Bessemer City Council that the project will not interfere with construction of the Birmingham Northern Beltline.
During Tuesday’s city council’s meeting, Councilman Chester Porter asked whether the data center could disrupt longstanding plans to build the Northern Beltline.
In response, Brad Kraaber with the Atlanta-based TPA Group told council members that the developer is in contact with the Alabama Department of Transportation, ALDOT, about the project.
“We have been in communication with ALDOT and we have committed to them and we are committing to the city council here that we will work with ALDOT to make sure that that Beltline gets built,” Kraaber said.
Michael Staley, executive director of the Coalition for Regional Transportation, issued this statement:
“The Northern Beltline and the data center can absolutely co-exist. Both will be important to the future of this region. We appreciate the developer’s public commitment to the city council and expect them to keep the Beltline on track.”
Alabama’s congressional delegation secured $549 million in federal funding, which will complete the first 10-mile segment of the Northern Beltline that will connect State Route 75 to U.S. Highway 31 near Gardendale.
Once completed, the Northern Beltline will be 52-mile interstate – Interstate 422 – extending from I-59 in northeast Jefferson County to the I-459 interchange near Bessemer. This “northern loop” will help foster economic development, divert traffic around Birmingham and provide first responders with quicker access to communities, according to the Coalition.
