Bullard Center Technical Assistance Leads to FHWA and Alabama DOT Agreement to Address Shiloh Highway Flooding in Shiloh Community

The persistent leadership and advocacy of Shiloh community leader Pastor Timothy Williams and technical assistance from the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice and allies provided the impetus for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) securing a binding commitment from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to construct vital infrastructure aimed at mitigating stormwater runoff and flooding in the Shiloh community along US Highway 84. This comes after some six years of flooding complaints, worsened by a highway-widening project, that disproportionately impacted this historically Black community.

The Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) requires ALDOT to make significant improvements, including regrading detention basins and widening ditches to reduce the flood risks facing Shiloh residents. This agreement represents a first step in addressing the highway flooding problem.  Beyond this first step, the USDOT has committed to using a whole-of-government approach to help the Shiloh community access federal assistance that is not available through DOT alone with the goal of making the flood-damaged community whole.

For more information, visit the official FHWA press release.
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About the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice

The Robert D. Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University was launched in 2021 to address long standing issues of systemic inequality and structural racism that cause disproportionate pain, suffering and death in Black and other people of color communities. The Bullard Center works to promote environmental, climate, economic, energy, transportation, food and water and health justice. Texas Southern University is a student-centered comprehensive doctoral university committed to ensuring equality, offering innovative programs that are responsive to its urban setting, and transforming diverse students into lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and creative leaders in their local, national, and global communities.