From Staff Reports
JEFFERSON COUNTY – On Wednesday, March 16th, Granite Construction and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) held the formal Pre-Construction Conference, a meeting to discuss the start of work on phase two of the I-59/20 Central Business District (CBD) bridge project.
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Phase two involves work around the modification of the route interchange at I-65 and I-59/20, known locally as malfunction junction. Granite Construction will build new ramps to 17th Street and 6th Avenue North, as well as new ramps from 11th Avenue North to the Interstate. Access to and from downtown will remain open during Phase Two, and all work on the new ramps will be completed before exiting access points are closed off.
Construction will begin in Spring of this year, and is expected to last until Fall 2018. During this time, ALDOT will provide regularly scheduled news updates for the media and public use.
Other Phases
Work on phase one is nearing completion. Phase one involves widening of three bridges and raising the elevation of two others along I-65. This work is necessary in order to prepare I-65 to properly connect with the work that will be completed in phases two and three of this project. Motorists are asked to remain vigilant of workers near the construction zone.
ALDOT will receive bids on phase three in August 2016. Phase three will involve the redesign of the route interchange with I-59/20 and Red Mountain Expressway, as well as the demolition and rebuilding of the mainline bridges through downtown Birmingham.
