Alabama’s Beltline Threatens Rare Waters | Huntsville News

Huntsville News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 9, 2026 · 1m

Alabama’s push to build the Northern Beltline highway—part of a $6 billion, 52-mile ring around Birmingham—is hitting a major snag as federal regulators weigh a permit to fill over an acre of wetlands and ten thousand feet of streams. Environmentalists are sounding the alarm, warning the route threatens sacred ecosystems like Turkey Creek, home to the rare vermilion darter fish and other endangered species. Critics accuse the state of fragmenting the project to dodge a full environmental review, urging the Army Corps to deny the permit and hold public hearings. Despite the controversy and…