I-59/20 Construction: City Expands Hours To Address Traffic

BIRMINGHAM, AL - In anticipation of the 14-month closure of Interstate 59/20 this month, the City of Birmingham announced it will expand its service hours to the public for select departments beginning January 14 to better serve commuters attempting to access City Hall.

The Alabama Department of Transportation willshut down portions of the I-59/20 bridge completely for 14 months starting in mid- to late January 2019. This will allow ALDOT to replace the aging bridge structure.

DeJarvis Leonard, ALDOT's east central region engineer, said an exact closure date can not be announced yet because there are "many moving parts to consider," but will be announced as the shutdown approaches. Once the bridges are shut down, the contractors will have 14 months to complete the project with a $250,000 per day incentive for finishing early and a $250,000 daily penalty if the project is not completed on time.

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The Department of Finance’s Tax & Licensing and Cash Management divisions and the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits’ One-Stop Permitting, Condemnation and Engineering field staff will operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Their expanded hours will offer more opportunities for individuals needing to pay fees, apply for business licenses or other permits. All other city departments and divisions will operate under current office hours.

“We encourage all downtown employers to consider innovative ways to help both employees and customers conduct business during the interstate construction project,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “Flexible hours will go a long way in helping our businesses run smoothly as possible during this transition period.”

The closure will prompt the following detours:

• Traffic from I-59/20 west bound (from Atlanta/Gadsden) will be detoured to exit at Carraway Boulevard and take Finley Boulevard around the city, either to I-65 at the Finley exit or to get on 59/20 at the Arkadelphia Road exit.
• Westbound drivers wishing to enter downtown can take the 25th Street exit, or exit onto the Red Mountain Expressway.
• Eastbound traffic (from Tuscaloosa/Bessemer) will be detoured to the Arkadelphia Road exit to Finley Boulevard to Carraway Boulevard, where they can get back on the interstate. Eastbound drivers wishing to enter the city can still use the 17th Street North exit, or take I-65 South to 4th Avenue South.

To handle the increased traffic, an additional left turn lane has been added to Carraway Boulevard for drivers turning onto Finley Boulevard, and another right turn lane has been added to Finley Boulevard to turn onto Carraway Boulevard.

Photo by Michael Seale/Patch