From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — The City of Birmingham will be expanding service hours to the public for select departments beginning Jan. 14, to better serve commuters attempting to access City Hall during the Alabama Department of Transportation’s closure of the I-59/20 bridge downtown.
ALDOT will shut 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. For more detailed information on the project, please visit ALDOT’s project website: www.5920bridge.com.
The Department of Finance’s Tax & Licensing and Cash Management divisions and the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits’ (PEP) One-Stop Permitting, Condemnation and Engineering field staff will operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m, Monday through Friday, effective Monday, Jan. 14. These 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.
Again, the intent of this change in service hours is to better serve the public and to reduce the city of Birmingham’s impact on traffic congestion with the expanded 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.”