MADISON -- Local officials were encouraged by news they heard Tuesday that the Alabama Department of Transportation is developing a road corridor linking Interstate 65 to Alabama 20 near Hillsboro.

The 14.5-mile highway will be part of the long-discussed Memphis-to-Atlanta super highway. The price tag for that stretch was estimated at just over $550 million.

The section has been placed on a priority list for the massive road project that would ultimately connect Memphis with Atlanta.

Shoals leaders say expediting the project could open up the area for more economic development.

The officials were attending an update on the Memphis-to-Atlanta Highway hosted by the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, located at the airport.

State Rep. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, and state Rep. Mike Curtis, D-Greenhill, said they plan to make sure that part of the corridor remains a priority.

"It's a little bit further along than last year," Curtis said after the meeting.

The officials, which included Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments Executive Director Keith Jones and Shoals Chamber of Commerce President Steve Holt, learned that ALDOT is using in-house consultants to study the route.

Outside consultants are under contract to study two other high priority sections of the highway that lie east of Huntsville.

The highest priority is a section of the proposed highway that enters Huntsville from the southeast and passes through Redstone Arsenal.

Redstone Arsenal Garrison Commander Col. John Olshefski said the project is a priority because of the expected influx of new jobs at the arsenal as part of the Base Realignment and Closure project.

After listening to concerns about the possibility of discovering hazardous materials on the arsenal during construction of the proposed highway, Olshefski said he was concerned about how those discoveries would be-handled.

He said he doesn't have the money in his budget to deal with any hazardous discovery.

Officials want to see that portion of the project completed by 2011, the current timetable for the BRAC to be completed.

The 14.5-mile section from I-65 to Alabama 20 would provide the Shoals with a six-lane link to I-65 via Alabama 20/Alternate U.S. 72.

Another eight-mile section of the project, which is also considered a priority, would carry the roadway to I-565 near Greenbrier. The estimated cost of that leg of the project is $229 million.

Don Arkle, assistant chief engineer of ALDOT, said the work on the three priority phases involves refining the route inside the now mile-wide corridor.

The timetable for the two sections east of Huntsville show right-of-way purchase taking place in 2010 or 2011.

The western section, the one linking 1-65 to Hillsboro, is about six months behind the other-projects.

"I wish we could do it a little quicker," Arkle said. "But that's the time it will take."

So far, $25 million has been spent in the past 10 years studying to get to this point.

Arkle said the cost of the project, at today's prices, is about $2 billion.

Alabama only receives about $800 million annually in federal funds for road construction, much of which is earmarked for projects such as bridge repair and interstate maintenance.

Only $200 million to $250 million is left for discretionary-spending.

Local officials were still happy with what they heard.

"I am encouraged," Holt said. "They've made enough progress to create segments that are now priorities."

The portion that would link Hillsboro to I-65 is important to the Shoals.

"I'm glad to see that is a priority," Holt said. "Obviously the southern bypass of 565 is the main priority."

Irons said she would like outside consultants to study the western segment rather than DOT consultants. Her fear is that another project could bump it off the priority list.

Officials at the meeting also suggested making the highway a toll road as a means of providing revenue for the project.

Another progress meeting could take place in the next four to six months.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.