A public hearing was held last Tuesday in Wilsonville seeking community input on a 20-year-old road extension project.

State Department of Transportation officials are planning to extend Alabama 145 to Alabama 25. Currently, drivers must take Shelby County 61 to connect with Alabama 25.

Gary Ray, DOT district engineer, says the new route will be a much better road for drivers compared to Shelby County 61.

The extension won&8217;t save motorists time, though, since Shelby County 61 currently runs parallel to the planned road.

&8220;The completion of 145 to 25 will be more of a safety issue than a time saver,&8221; said Ray. He said the state primary route will have better sight distance and smoother curves that the county road.

Ray said the extension has been in the works since the 1970s. &8220;The state and our department needs to complete this connector,&8221; said Ray. Construction is tentatively scheduled for Spring of &8217;07