ALDOT’s Killing Field: Bloody 98
Having A Green Light at Bloody 98 and Schillinger Road
Does Not Assure You Safe Passage
Bloody 98 has been discussed all over the state for years. Very little has been done to decrease the slaughter. Most rhetoric includes statements about law suits, lack of funds, etc. But, the shameful truth is that we here in Semmes, the people with the most to lose, do nothing. Absolutely nothing but let ALDOT dictate to us that 45 mph and 50 mph thru our residential and business districts is okay.
A complete history of the long-running massacre would take pages. Here are just a few stories from the past if you have any interest.
- Montgomery politics aside, even the entire $120 million wouldn’t be sufficient to fully address the long-idled U.S. 98 project, where traffic is increasingly becoming more dangerous as new subdivisions and shopping areas pop up. County officials reported that during a two-year stretch from 2012-14, the road saw a 62 percent spike in crashes.
- “It’s one of the most dangerous highways in the state,” he stated. “Anything would be an improvement.”
- Nov. 3, 2015: ALDOT reports that the stretch of 98 through Semmes is now the busiest two-lane state road averaging more than 18,630 cars per day.
- Sept. 12, 2017: ALDOT plans to connect that four-lane stretch to SR-158, and connect it all the way to the state line, ultimately replacing the currently standing “bloody 98,” as its nicknamed, due to the high amount of fatal accidents on the highway each year.
- U.S. Highway 98 in Mobile County has proven so deadly that it has earned the nickname “Bloody 98,” and while funding from the BP oil spill settlement will be used to jump start the project, additional funding is needed, and more work remains to be done.
I took these photos this morning, Friday, August 9, 2019 around 7:00 am. Are these drivers ignoring the traffic signals or are they going to fast to stop?
In the US, if any part of a driver’s vehicle has already passed into the intersection when the signal turns red, a violation is not generated. A ticket is only issued if the vehicle enters the intersection while the light is red.