This is an open letter to state Sen. Jimmy Holley and state Rep. Seth Hammett.

Alabama Highway 55, north of Andalusia, ends at the intersection of U.S. 31 near McKenzie.

Many north Alabama travelers going to Florida use Interstate 65 and exit at Georgiana, where they take Alabama 106 to U.S. 31, which turns into Alabama 55. That route brings them directly into Covington County.

I propose that our legislators sponsor a resolution directing the Alabama Department of Transportation to rename all of this portion of the roadway, from I-65 to McKenzie, as Alabama Highway 55, creating a continuous route for travelers unfamiliar with this area.

This geographic simplification would increase traffic to the Florida panhandle because travelers would have a clear, uniformly named route. This would bring increased revenue to Covington County and the cities of Andalusia and Florala. Perhaps the county and those cities will one day sponsor advertisements in north Alabama stating, “Follow the Double-Nickel to the Florida beaches.”

Sincerely,

William Law, Andalusia