ALDOT Opens 17th Street North Ramp

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Motorists entering downtown Birmingham now will benefit from the opening of the 17th Street North ramp as part of the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Central Business District Project. The construction is designed to improve the I-59/20 and I-65 Interchanges. The ramp opened August 31.

Also last week, ALDOT opened the 11th Avenue North Ramp which enhanced departures from the downtown area.

ALDOT’s East Central Region Engineer, DeJarvis Leonard, said drivers should use some caution when using the ramp for the first time. While message boards and all necessary traffic controls are in place, he provided the following navigating tips:

• Ramps to 17th Street will come from the north, south and west.
• From I-65, the left lane will depart and span over I-59 to meet the bridge from I-59 north and the bridge from I-65 north.
• The ramp will have four lanes at the intersection of Reverend Abraham Woods Blvd.

While all ramps are now functioning, some minor work will continue on Phase 2 of the three-phase project and Leonard encouraged motorists to continue using caution when traveling in this area.

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Phase 2 included fourteen new bridges, two bridge removals, seven bridge widenings with sixteen retaining walls. Phase 2 also involves work items for grade, drain, base, pave, striping, signals and lighting. This work is now nearing completion and has cost just over $232 million.

Photo by Michael Seale/Patch

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