(ORANGE BEACH, Ala.) - A Pennsylvania company has some giant plans for Alabama.
The company Ameri-Metro says it is working on plans for a $7 billion toll road and rail system from the Tennessee state line all the way to Orange Beach.
The Governor's Office and the Alabama Department of Transportation say they've heard nothing about these plans. Baldwin County Economic officials say they've heard rumors and rumblings but call it all pie in the sky.
Ameri-Metro plans to raise the $7 billion needed from private sources, by selling bonds. Baldwin County's Economic Alliance Director is aware of the company's plans, but he says making it happen won't be easy.
"I haven't seen anything in the economy right now or seen any successes with financing projects that would make me think $7 billion could be raised in a hurry for a project like this. It would be extremely difficult," says Bob Ingram.
The capital could be hard to come by, but the idea behind the project may be a good one.
"I think it would get the job done quicker than doing it with the federal government or the state. As long as there's no public money involved, I'm for it. Absolutely," says Don Fisher of Foley.
Ameri-Metro says it would take 4 to 5 years for the project, a timeline that may be unrealistic based how long it's taken to acquire land for smaller projects.
"If they don't have the right of way it could be a huge issue. They have to go through the permitting for federal permits. I'm sure there would be all types of wetlands issues," explains Ingram.
A different company announced a similar route for a toll road project in 2000, but it never materialized.
