Results of a Highway 280 traffic study were revealed last Thursday night for the corridor east of Hugh Daniel Drive.

It was all part of a project by the cities of Chelsea, Harpersville, Hoover and Westover to create an access management plan for the busy highway, a nightmare for many commuters and Shelby County residents who live nearby.

On Highway 280, the results of insufficient planning for imminent growth are clear.

While earlier planners may not have been fully aware of the magnitude of growth Shelby County faced at the time, current officials have had plenty of warning.

That&8217;s why representatives from the firm that handled the Highway 280 study suggested a pro-active approach to dealing with local traffic concerns.

By looking ahead and acquiring rights-of-way, building service roads and planning traffic light locations, areas east of Hugh Daniel Drive can prevent the future misery experienced along some of Highway 280&8217;s most problematic areas.

And the county&8217;s traffic concerns aren&8217;t limited to Highway 280.

Work is being done to widen Shelby County 11 through Alabaster and the cities of Helena and Calera are each working on proposed bypass projects.

But the county or individual cities can do it alone.

Solving infrastructure problems created by the county&8217;s enormous growth will require the cooperation of the county, the state and each municipality involved.

Involvement from county residents during public meetings and pressure placed on elected officials to keep traffic issues at the forefront can help facilitate the process