Roger Jones announces new Flint River bridge.JPG

Roger Jones discusses plans to replace the aging Winchester Road bridge over the Flint River at a July 2012 news conference. The state recently committed $10 million toward a new four-lane bridge as well as widening Winchester Road from the bridge to just past the Bell Factory Road intersection. (Huntsville Times file photo)

HAZEL GREEN, Alabama - Driving past rolling cotton fields that stretch to the horizon, Roger Jones' prediction of a coming "explosion of people" seems jarring.

But Jones, northern Madison County's voice on the County Commission since 2000, senses a growth spurt. And why not? As he pointed out in a Feb. 27 interview, the Hazel Green, Meridianville, Riverton and New Market areas north of Huntsville boast award-winning schools, thousands of acres of easily developed land, an executive airport and drop-dead-gorgeous scenery.

"I think the natural beauty of this area is an attraction," said Jones. "We've got mountains to the east, streams running through, great schools.

"If we can get people in here to see what we have, it's an easy sell."

Many have already taken the plunge. The five U.S. Census tracts that generally comprise Jones' commission district added 6,817 residents from 2000 to 2010. At last count, the population was 36,395.

Anyone who has recently driven Winchester Road at morning rush-hour can attest to the area's growth. But relief is coming.

Jones breaks into a grin while talking about Gov. Robert Bentley's recent decision to commit about $10 million toward replacing the World War II-era Winchester Road bridge over the Flint River. The Alabama Department of Transportation has also agreed to pay 80 percent of the cost of five-laning the busy stretch from the bridge to just past the Bell Factory Road intersection.

Plans call for building a new two-lane bridge and routing traffic there while the existing span is torn down and rebuilt. Work could start as early as this summer, said Jones.

He said the county can't afford to pass up the opportunity to get the bridge replaced on the state's dime, even if it means borrowing money to cover the required 20 percent match. Jones' commission office gets $1 million a year from the county to maintain 525 miles of roads.

"With our budget, we could never five-lane Winchester Road or replace the bridge," he said. "Thank goodness for the governor's help."

Madison County Executive Airport in Meridianville is preparing to lengthen its runway to accommodate more and larger private jets. (Steve Doyle | sdoyle@al.com)

Jones, whose great-great-grandfather settled in New Market in 1859, is also excited about the future of Madison County Executive Airport in Meridianville. Airport officials are preparing to extend the runway to 6,000 feet to accommodate more and larger corporate jets.

Jones said he hopes the longer runway convinces more companies to set up shop at the airport industrial park. The primary tenant now, Yulista Aviation, started with a single employee in 2002 and has grown to fill five buildings. Yulista modifies helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and ground vehicles for the Army.

A new house under construction in the Twin Rivers subdivision near Hazel Green High School. (Steve Doyle | sdoyle@al.com)

During a driving tour of northern Madison County, Jones pulls into several neighborhoods that he says went belly-up during the recession. But with the economy on the mend, new houses -- priced from $120,000 to well over $200,000 -- are once again sprouting from the rich red soil.

Jones also stops by his alma mater, Buckhorn High School, and Sharon Johnston Park in New Market. The 200-acre park is something of a "hidden gem," he says, boasting campsites, a fishing lake, shooting range, pool, horse arena, soccer fields and more. This fall, the park will host a re-enactment of the Buckhorn Tavern Skirmish - a brief dust-up between Confederate and Union forces on Oct. 12, 1863.

According to the historical marker, the opposing soldiers were so close that they "could see each others' faces by the muzzle flashes."

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