TODD STACEY: NO DOUBT IF YOU’VE BEEN IN DOWNTOWN MONTGOMERY, EXPECIALLY AROUND THE STATE CAPITOL COMPLEX, YOU’VE NOTICED SEVERAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TAKING PLACE. WITH THOSE PROJECTS COME SOME GROWING PAINS , SO HOW ARE PEOPLE DEALING WITH THEM AND HOW MUCH LONGER WILL IT LAST. CAPITOL JOUNAL’S RANDY SCOTT REPORTS.
RANDY SCOTT: YOU’RE LOOKING AT SOME EXPENSIVE REAL ESTATE IN THE CAPITOL CITY….PARKING SPACES. WITH THE 2026 REGULAR SESSION DAYS AWAY AND SECTIONS AROUND THE STATE CAPITOL ALTERED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
BUTLER: “Parking downtown is a disaster.”
RANDY: TAKE FOR INSTANCE EMMA BUTLER AND ANNA DICKSON BECK. BOTH LADIES WORK TOGETHER DOWNTOWN AND KNOW HOW THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE AFFECTS PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE AND THOSE WHO COME FOR A VISIT.
BUTLER: “In the capitol complex, we’re lucky…to walk to their offices.”
BECK: “Parking is very hard…hard to park.”
RANDY: “Part of the political process is watching the People’s Business handled in the statehouse. As you can see with construction on a new parking deck and new statehouse, parking in this area is at a premium downtown. But there are some who say that problem will soon be fixed.”
RANDY: ONE PERSON IS REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS PRINGLE, SPEAKER PRO TEM OF THE ALABAMA HOUSE WHO SAYS LAWMAKERS HAVE CLOSE PARKING AND SOON CITIZENS WILL TOO.
PRINGLE: “For the public, it’s been a problem for years. Hopefully with the new deck it will free up parking spaces around the capitol complex.”
RANDY: REPRESENTATIVE PRINGLE SAYS THIS CONSTRUCTION MAYBE A HEADACHE FOR SOME NOW, IT WILL PROVIDE THE PEOPLE WITH A BETTER VIEW OF THEIR GOVERNMENT WORKING.
PRINGLE: “The whole purpose of this new building is Transparency. Committee rooms with broadcast meetings, you can stay at home and watch. It will make the whole process more transparent.”
RANDY: IN THE MEANTIME, PEOPLE HOPE THE WORK WRAPS UP SOON TO EASE SOME OF THE CONGESTION HERE.
BECK: “I’ve heard people say they’ve had to walk in the rain and sometimes wait just to get to your car.”
BUTLER: “They’re making progress, we’re watching it happen. For 6 months, a year, we’ll get there one day.”
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