Alabama Road and Highway Updates
Use this thread to update everyone on the ongoing road and highway construction, proposals too, going on around the state.
Notice a project starting? Post it! Notice a project finishing up? Post it! Notice a project stalling...? Post it! begrudgingly... I'll start off. My mom and I drove down to Panama City Beach today, so I got a good dose of interstate construction. Here are some updates: Decatur I-65 near Lacon Improvements to the bridges over the creek near the Lacon exit are ongoing. I'm not sure exactly how they plan to improve them, cause I don't recall an official announcement. But, it is obvious that they're going to resurface the bridges in some way. I'm sure a lot of people know that it's pretty scary to go over those things at high speeds... I-65 Tennessee River Bridges I'm not sure if the weather monitoring system on the bridge is complete yet, but it sure looks like it. Cullman Widening of road crossing I-65 The new overpass is complete. It appears like we're still waiting on the widening of the rest of the road for the construction zone to be removed. North Birmingham I-20/59 lighting replacement It seems that much of the work is finished. I noticed that the lights on the eastbound lanes were one and working fine. I-65 widening north of the Junction Most of the overpass-work is completed, but they are still working on replacing the decks of the older, original overpasses in the center. It looked like they were beginning to construct a new off-ramp from I-65 Southbound to Finley Boulevard. So far, everything looks like it is on schedule. We should start seeing interchange construction beginning in December. I'm looking forward to it. I-65 Resurfacing I read an article a few days ago on ALDOT bidding out the resurfacing project between, I believe, Fieldstown and Walkers Chapel? I can't really remember. Someone correct me if they remember. Over The Mountain, Jefferson I-65 Work I'm sure most have heard, stimulus money has been granted to landscaping of the interchange with I-65 and Montgomery Highway in Vestavia. Also, the MPO recently approved the reconstruction of the lanes between Montgomery Highway and the I-459 interchange (what I called the OTM interchange). West Shelby I-65 Widening Work continues on the much needed widening of I-65 from Valleydale to Alabaster. The road is looking MUCH more attractive and modern with the concrete walls being used to compact the roadway. South Shelby/North Chilton I-65 buffer creation Work continues on the Northbound side of I-65 on the buffers to the east of the roadway. They're clearing out trees and replacing it with grass to allow for a more safe and open roadway. Montgomery I-65 widening Work is ongoing from basically the Alabama River bridge on south. I can't remember exactly where the widening ends south of I-85 cause I never make it down there. So someone please post that if you know. Eastern Boulevard Work on overpasses is still ongoing. Enterprise Boll Weevil Circle widening Work is ongoing. Work is taking place starting just south of where AL 167 leaves the Circle for Hartford. I know that widening is taking place AT LEAST to where the road to Geneva hits the circle. |
Good thread :cool:
The I65 project in Montgomery streches from Highway 80 on the southside to the river bridge. I honestly think they should have gone with a solid 4 lanes, but space may have some constraints on that possibility. |
I keep tabs of upcoming projects by checking out the "Project Letting" notices on ALDOT's website.
A few things of interest from July and August include: Widening of I-20 between Moody and Pell City was let in July. Link Improvements to 14th Street are being let in August Link No indication yet that the I-22 Connector has been let. I guess we'll just have to wait and see? |
Hmm, I didn't know about that part of the site, thanx for the tip Bravo!
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I haven't heard anything lately about the 20/59 widening project. I thought they were starting on the section in Cottondale months ago but that was just some project to strengthen the embankment. Right now they are repaving 20/59 through Tuscaloosa, but there are no indications they will be starting the widening anytime soon.
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I hope that after widening 20/59 between Moody and Pell City that they raise the speed limit on that stretch back to 70.
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59 doesn't go to Pell City. 20/59 joins in Meridian & splits in Birmingham with 59 going to Gadsden. Just FYI.
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Enterprise
From the Enterprise Ledger: Michelle Mann
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I was driving to Cottondale a few days ago and noticed that they were widening Buttermilk Road from the interstate down to past Bryant High school. I believe this is supposed to be part of eastern bypass of Tuscaloosa, which is being held up currently be disputes over the section of the road that will cross Hurricane Creek.
I don't understand why the state isn't pitching anything into the Tuscaloosa loop project. The western bypass was a built jointly by the Northport, Tuscaloosa and the county, while the bridge carrying it over the Black Warrior River was privately-built. Well, I guess that state had to build the interchange with 20/59 west of Tuscaloosa. |
Can't wait to have an excuse to travel Hwy (County Road 113, Escambia County, Alabama). That is a newly paved Hurricane evacuation road for Pensacola. Paved to 4 lanes.
I don't know why Alabama spent the money to do it to tell you the truth. Florida has shown little to no interest in helping Pensacolians leave town for devestating hurricanes. Hwy 29 isn't 6 lanes. Or 8. You connect to a part of Florida that doesn't care how many people die caught in traffic. Yet you spend money increasing your flow. That is an awesome tribute to Alabama. It won't be your fault when we all die in the next Category 5. You did your part. If I could complain...I'd suggest that I-65 from Mobile to Montgomery northbound should be at least 3 lanes. Probably 4 lanes. The whole way. Everyone on the coast wants to move to Montgomery or North in a storm. Florida needs to contibute at least half to widen I-65. But don't hold your breath. This is the greater Pensacola area we are talking about. There are 10 suburbs of Orlando that have more political pull (but not population). |
Florida just doesn't care, I don't think. All I can say is, I'm glad we're being proactive.
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Here's an interesting editorial regarding the $1bn+ River Bridge and Bayway expansion in Mobile that tells a cautionary tale about moving too fast for the sake of perceived progress.
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Build the Bridge
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Let's not forget all the CO2 that is emitted into the air when people sit, idling, for long periods of time when traffic is bad. So, I'd think that the environment benefits might outweigh the costs.
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Anyways, the city/ALDOT need to plan to totally remove the Water street exit as we build the bridge. That was a bigger disaster than building the Wallace Tunnels. |
Sorry if this hijack's the thread, but bridge-builder proponents are, of course, making assumptions that commuting patterns won't change. Things have never and will never be static. Only a hundred years ago you barely even have cars in this area. 60 years ago there were barely any paved roads outside of town. Just building a road wider/bypass/bridge may not result in actually bettering a place. I think that's what the author of that article was talking about.
It would be infinitely better long-term if the money was spent on (A) a hurricane evac interstate spur to connect I-65 & -I-10 in Baldwin county (which could also serve to help evacuate the P-cola) & (B) a commuter rail project to connect those Eastern Shore suburbs with downtown & the airport. Commuters have already shown a willingness to use mass transit when gas prices spiked a while back. That they're already inching back towards $3-$4 a gallon just makes it more important that we put this economically sound idea into practice. The evac route (already planned & being pushed by the state) would take almost all of the beach-bound traffic off the Bayway in Spring/Summer and removing commuters (even if you only get half of them) w/ a light rail system would make an even further dent in the traffic. Ultimately you can take half the local traffic off the Bayway entirely maybe more if gas prices continue to go up... & unless reliable electric/Hydrogen fuel cell cars come out soon to a mass market we're going to have a lot more push for this method of travel in the very near future anyway. Most folk won't pay $5 & $6 a gallon for a daily commute every single weekday (heck, 5 to 10 years from now when the bridge finally opens it could easily be $7 or $8 a gallon... or more). Certainly not for the gas-guzzlers popular in the Suburbs. The bridge is, IMO, a prideful waste of money and an example of poor planning. There's zero need for it now (traffic issues on the Bayway are waaaaaay overstated and there's almost never traffic on the Causeway) and no concrete need for it tomorrow. The ONLY reason people want it built is to have a pretty new building to talk about. |
bridge politics
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Of course it doesn't mean they are ready to get started...but interesting after several years it's now comming up again.
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PBS's newshow NewsHour did a segment on the northern loop. Naturally, it's tilted towards the NIMBYs and environmentalists.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintame...ll-report/778/ |
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