Local political leaders said Monday the proposed Northern Beltline is the most important infrastructure project Jefferson County will ever have.

Sen. Richard Shelby and Congressman Spencer Bachus spoke in favor of the $3 billion project that would create 69,500 jobs and $7 billion in economic impact during the construction phase and $2 billion annually post construction.

If Jefferson County doesn't come together for this project, other states are ready to step up and take the money Alabama is due, said Bachus.

"I'm frustrated," said Bachus, a Birmingham native. "I grew up in a dynamic city that was making progress and I have seen this city divide itself. People wait for that and steal what's ours."

Bachus said funding is in place to begin building the proposed 53-mile stretch of interstate – that will be designated I-422 – now that it has been added to the National Highway System and the Appalachian Highway System to qualify for federal funding. But state transportation officials need to be lobbied for consistent funding, he said.

Shelby and Bachus spoke at the Coalition for Regional Transportation's presentation of the results of the Northern Beltline economic impact study. To view the study and see a map of the proposed beltline, click here.