Hoover Supports Highway 280 Plan

Another city considers the governor's plan to get rid of the traffic congestion.

Business owners agree something has to be done with the traffic, but the elevated highway toll plan may not be the answer they are looking for.

Llyod's Restaurant owner Eli Stevens times the traffic lights on Highway 280. He thinks the problem lies in the traffic lights.

"Biggest problem with 280 is that the lights aren't staying green for one minute and forty seconds. If you have 50,000 cars coming down the stretch of highway how are you going to move cars in one minute forty seconds?"

Stevens can remember a time when there was no traffic on 280, clearly not the case today. But he says the elevated toll road is not the solution.

"A freeway is not going to be the solution. If they would just try one little solution, keep the lights green for three minutes."

Inside the restaurant, Jackie Hughins and her daughter are enjoying a very early dinner.

"That's why we're here earlier for dinner, yeah, I hate the traffic," says Hughins. 

Meanwhile, in the city of Hoover, they voted to approve a resolution that would support ALDOT's efforts to relieve congestion.

Mayor Tony Petelos says, "We don't want to see it to die because what we were told was that if we don't support this then the project would die and there is no other available funding to support it and that scares me."

Councilman Gene Smith did not vote in favor of the resolution, he says it was a symbolic vote.

"ALDOT needs to be quick in coming up with responses that are being brought forward. something has to be done on 280 perpetual gridlock is not an answer."

A sentiment everyone agrees with...something has to be done on 280.