Governor Kay Ivey spoke at a crowded Chamber of Commerce event at Athens State University on Thursday. During her remarks, she addressed several topics important to Alabamians, including the ongoing statewide development of transportation infrastructure.
โItโs so good to be back on the beautiful campus of Athens State,โ Ivey said. โAnd what a great crowd. This is almost as many folks as turned out to see Keith Urbanโs pop-up concert here in Athens last Friday!โ
When she discussed the importance of improved infrastructure, Ivey cited data showing an increase in residents across nearly every county in the state.
The steady growth in residents, according to Ivey, is being met with upgrades and expansion of transportation infrastructure throughout the state. โYellowhammer News recently reported nearly all of our 67 counties attracted more residents last year. People want to be in Sweet Home Alabama,โ she said.
โYou all are well aware of the work being done on I-65 just south of the Tennessee line, and I canโt wait until itโs complete. And I especially canโt wait to see a new rocket constructed on the site!โ she said.
โThanks to Rebuild Alabama, we have embarked on more than 350 road and bridge projects in all 67 counties.โ
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Ivey emphasized that progress is happening throughout much of Alabama.
โWe are able to tackle major projects from the top of the state to the bottom, from widening I-565 in Huntsville, to the West Alabama Corridor, to widening I-65, to now pressing on with the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project,โ she said.
โWe are also able to complete long-awaited projects like the widening of Highway 411 in Cherokee County.โ
โWe are deepening and widening the Port of Mobile.โ One of the main goals of these projects, she noted, is to make Alabama as pro-business as possible.
โFolks, all of these infrastructure improvementsโwhether it be the fiber in the ground or the widening of our well-traveled roads or the expanding of opportunity in rural Alabamaโall these things matter when it comes to making Alabama the most business-friendly state in the nation,โ Ivey said.
โAnd yโall, weโre not slowing down any time soon.โ
Additionally, the governor highlighted the popular measure of eliminating tolls on the way to the beach.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
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