Elected Officials from the State and Local level gathered in Leesburg on Monday morning for the official Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Highway 411 four-lane project.

The special guest of course was Alabama Governor Kay Ivey – Gov. Ivey said that this project will be the first since the passage of the Rebuild Alabama Act.

This is a project legislators have been working on for decades. The idea has been on the table since the 1960’s.

The new highway from Turkeytown in Etowah County to west of Leesburg in Cherokee County will complete the four-lane corridor from the county seat at Centre to Interstate 759 and Interstate 59 in Gadsden. The contract was awarded to McCartney Construction last month.

State Senator Andrew Jones said that this is a historic day for Cherokee County –

We also had an opportunity to speak with District 39 State Representative Ginny Shaver who has been an instrumental part of this project coming to fruition.

Currently, Cherokee County is one of 16 Alabama counties currently not served by a four-lane route to an interstate.