MONTGOMERY, AL (AP) Ed Kovalchick told legislators Feb. 10 that the Shelby County town of Helena has a problem — it has tripled in size in recent years, but the roads coming in and out of town have not been improved.

“We’re in big trouble. People choose not to do business in Helena because they can’t get off and on the roads,” said Kovalchick, a member of the Helena Economic Development Board.

Kovalchick and others told members of the House State Government Committee that roads in Helena and other communities across the state have been overlooked for years by state transportation officials for political reasons.

He was speaking in favor of a bill to create a three-member commission to operate the highway department with the governor appointing members. The committee voted Feb. 10 to indefinitely postpone consideration of the bill.

The idea of creating an independent commission to make transportation decisions was proposed by Gov. Bob Riley during his 2002 campaign. The governor’s transportation director, Joe McInnes, said the governor still supports the idea but wants to delay implementation until a long-running desegregation lawsuit against the highway department can be resolved.

At McInnes’ request, the committee voted 7-6 to indefinitely postpone the bill, but the sponsor, Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said he would keep trying to get it passed.

Ward represents Shelby County, which according to the 2000 Census, is the fastest growing county in the state. County officials often complain that the county’s once rural roads have not been updated to handle the growing urban sprawl from nearby Birmingham.

McInnes said he believes the concept of an independent transportation commission is “excellent,” but he first wants to end the almost 20-year-old discrimination lawsuit, which he said has cost the state millions of dollars in legal fees.

He said he doesn’t want to make any changes that might cause a delay in the case.

But Mark Tyner, county administrator in Bibb County, said something needs to change immediately in how the DOT builds roads.

“Without strong political pull, our county has been held back,” Tyner said. He said Bibb County officials have been waiting for 10 years for Alabama 5, a main thoroughfare that runs from the north to south ends of the county, to be widened.

In other news, Riley in early February revealed his budget proposal, which gives to education and Medicaid and takes from highway maintenance and state employees. The proposed budget gives Medicaid a $127 million increase, but depends on $25 million from nursing home bed taxes and $30 million in program cuts.

To feed the proposed General Education Trust Fund, which would spend $111.6 million more than last year, the governor has proposed to use $39.6 million in gas tax money. That money is normally used for highway and bridge construction.

“For legislature to decide to give up road money, we have to make sure the priority is more important,” said Sen. Ted Little. “There are numerous road and infrastructure problems in Alabama. My concern is to make sure we have good roads in east Alabama.”

The Alabama Road Builder’s Association has made public its plans to fight the proposal.

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