Birmingham

[asdfjkll]

The I-65/Lakeshore Parkway interchange conversion to a DDI project in Homewood, AL has been withdrawn from this months's letting for bid. Not sure why.

I am unsure why it was withdrawn as well but it'll usually reappear within the next couple lettings from what I've seen on other projects let in 2020 that were withdrawn from one letting and put in another.

EDIT: The I-65/Lakeshore Parkway DDI is on the March 26, 2021 letting now, the list of projects that will be let on March 26th are now posted on the alletting website on the ALDOT website. There is also a replacement of the southbound I-65 welcome center south of the TN state line in this letting which is the only other notable project on this letting, the rest are generic maintenance projects and intersection improvements (there are a few roundabout installations in this letting as well)

[Georgia]

they better  not take away the rocket from the southbound welcome center!!

that welcome center did need a revamp big time.

[Voyager75]

Despite the completion of the I-20/59 viaduct project, as of last Friday there is only one advance sign for US 31/280 along the freeway northbound. Instead there are three US 280 trailblazers posted leading to the gore point for Exit 126A.

Southbound has three advance signs, but none beyond the APL ahead of 31st Street.

Was surprised to see that the three vintage overheads for I-65 with button copy shields on southbound survive.

The signage for US 280 has been a issue since the viaduct reopened.  I know of people that have missed the exit for that reason.

The first thing I noticed when I drove on the new bridge was the lack of a exit gantry for US-31/280. There's no warning for people unfamiliar with the new layout for the exit other than the 1 mile advanced signage. Those small trailblazer US-280 signs don't get the job done really. Those were added week or two after so the lack of signage is known by ALDOT but I doubt they do anything else about it. Those bridge pieces don't actually support sign gantries. The others are supported from the ground below so I'm not sure if the area under the exit ramp has room for supports. I would have to go down and investigate.


iPad

Was coming through downtown B'Ham last night and lo and behold...new sign gantry installed at the off ramp to US-31/280. Wasn't expecting to see that so I had to take a quick blurry pic.

https://imgur.com/a/tkTMIqt

[Henry]

Does anyone have a final design on the new I-20/I-59/I-65 interchange? At least the new downtown section looks better than the old one ever did. Not to mention smoother...

[clong]

Hoover City Council approves $120 million interchange - Will be Exit 9 on I-459
https://www.al.com/news/2023/01/hoover-approves-120-million-plan-for-new-i-459-interchange.html

Below is a link to a previous map of the connected parkway from a Birmingham Business Journal article from 2020:
https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2020/10/22/new-details-emerge-on-potential-connector-road-in.html

[jdb1234]

Hoover City Council approves $120 million interchange - Will be Exit 9 on I-459
https://www.al.com/news/2023/01/hoover-approves-120-million-plan-for-new-i-459-interchange.html

Below is a link to a previous map of the connected parkway from a Birmingham Business Journal article from 2020:
https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2020/10/22/new-details-emerge-on-potential-connector-road-in.html

From the article from the Hoover Sun, the proposed interchange will be, unsurprisingly, a DDI.  It seems that Exit 10 gets busier and busier every time I am out that way.

An interchange west of AL 150 had been kicked around for a while.  The main issue that I remember is that the South Shades Crest Road overpass is too close for an interchange there.

[74/171FAN]

https://abc3340.com/news/local/aldot-plans-major-road-work-in-the-spring-on-i-65-and-red-mtn-expressway-interstate-birmingham-shelby-co-jefferson-co-red-mtn-expressway

I am unsure what this means.

Modifying a ramp at I-20 and the 59 split is also a priority. Leonard explains Exit 130 will close. Exit 130A will be extended so you can turn both left and right with two lanes. This should ease the back up going out of town in the afternoon and evening hours.

[NE2]

SR 4 signs have been added to the US11/78 overlap, at least east of I-65: https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid083ntEk54X4dXwE7fWu4Ge5VDFRqwXtQopvCf8QC5LWXS3YBiLNUYALEq8Pg3gbu1l&id=100009623717629&mibextid=Nif5oz
Maybe this is a first step in moving US 78, but it seems pointless given that US 11 is also there.

[74/171FAN]

I saw AL 4 shields along US 78 when I drove around Birmingham a year ago.

[asdfjkll]

https://abc3340.com/news/local/aldot-plans-major-road-work-in-the-spring-on-i-65-and-red-mtn-expressway-interstate-birmingham-shelby-co-jefferson-co-red-mtn-expressway

I am unsure what this means.

Modifying a ramp at I-20 and the 59 split is also a priority. Leonard explains Exit 130 will close. Exit 130A will be extended so you can turn both left and right with two lanes. This should ease the back up going out of town in the afternoon and evening hours.

I think he got confused on which exit ramps are closing/being upgraded. Currently at the 20/59 split east of town, on I-20 east there is exit 130A and 130B. 130A goes to southbound US-11, and 130B goes to northbound US-11. The right lane after 130A becomes an exit only drop lane for exit 130B, which causes everyone to hurry into the left lane, therefore causing the backups at the PM rush hour. To resolve this, they will close the exit 130B loop ramp, and modify exit 130A to allow traffic to turn either left or right onto US-11 from that same exit ramp. I-20 will then have two thru lanes instead of one through this interchange, and the ramp from I-59 south will merge into the mainline from the left. This public involvement map from last year pretty much sums up what changes will be made to this interchange: https://www.dot.state.al.us/news/NH-0007/pdf/pimap.pdf

[The Ghostbuster]

Has the Interstate 22 connection with US 31 (future Exit 95C) been completed yet? If not, does anyone know when it might be completed?

[NE2]

no

[Voyager75]

Has the Interstate 22 connection with US 31 (future Exit 95C) been completed yet? If not, does anyone know when it might be completed?

Not much to do to build it....however I doubt it ever gets built. Overhead signs were installed and covered on US 31 when I-22 was completed for the connection but ALDOT removed them about a year later implying it's been indefinitely put on hold or cancelled.

[Anthony_JK]

https://abc3340.com/news/local/aldot-plans-major-road-work-in-the-spring-on-i-65-and-red-mtn-expressway-interstate-birmingham-shelby-co-jefferson-co-red-mtn-expressway

I am unsure what this means.

Modifying a ramp at I-20 and the 59 split is also a priority. Leonard explains Exit 130 will close. Exit 130A will be extended so you can turn both left and right with two lanes. This should ease the back up going out of town in the afternoon and evening hours.

I think he got confused on which exit ramps are closing/being upgraded. Currently at the 20/59 split east of town, on I-20 east there is exit 130A and 130B. 130A goes to southbound US-11, and 130B goes to northbound US-11. The right lane after 130A becomes an exit only drop lane for exit 130B, which causes everyone to hurry into the left lane, therefore causing the backups at the PM rush hour. To resolve this, they will close the exit 130B loop ramp, and modify exit 130A to allow traffic to turn either left or right onto US-11 from that same exit ramp. I-20 will then have two thru lanes instead of one through this interchange, and the ramp from I-59 south will merge into the mainline from the left. This public involvement map from last year pretty much sums up what changes will be made to this interchange: https://www.dot.state.al.us/news/NH-0007/pdf/pimap.pdf

Looks pretty good to me. Eliminating that loop ramp also allows room to potentially extend the 130A exit ramp beyond First Avenue/US 11 to connect with the entry ramp to southbound I-59 with the adjacent street, making it a full split diamond interchange.

[BamaZeus]

Wait, the Beltline is alive!  It was only MOSTLY dead.

https://www.wbrc.com/2023/04/12/gov-ivey-city-leaders-make-announcement-birmingham-northern-beltline/

[74/171FAN]

Wait, the Beltline is alive!  It was only MOSTLY dead.

https://www.wbrc.com/2023/04/12/gov-ivey-city-leaders-make-announcement-birmingham-northern-beltline/

I do not understand what the below statement in the article means.  I-20, I-59, I-65, and I-459 have been around a while.

Birmingham is one of the few cities of its size in the U.S. that does not have a complete, connected interstate route to serve its metropolitan area, a deficiency the Northern Beltline will correct.

[The Ghostbuster]

Are they really going to build any more of Interstate 422? All that exists of 422 is this: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7406867,-86.6714996,2857m/data=!3m1!1e3. If one wanted to access AL 75 or AL 79 in the vicinity, utilizing AL 151 a short distance to the south would be sufficient to access either highway.

[codyg1985]

Are they really going to build any more of Interstate 422? All that exists of 422 is this: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7406867,-86.6714996,2857m/data=!3m1!1e3. If one wanted to access AL 75 or AL 79 in the vicinity, utilizing AL 151 a short distance to the south would be sufficient to access either highway.

Looks like they will start at US 31 and work east towards AL 79 after finishing the portion between AL 79 and AL 75.

[asdfjkll]

Are they really going to build any more of Interstate 422? All that exists of 422 is this: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7406867,-86.6714996,2857m/data=!3m1!1e3. If one wanted to access AL 75 or AL 79 in the vicinity, utilizing AL 151 a short distance to the south would be sufficient to access either highway.

Looks like they will start at US 31 and work east towards AL 79 after finishing the portion between AL 79 and AL 75.

the draft 2024-2027 STIP for Jefferson County also shows some money being put towards the I-65 interchange and the segment between I-65 and US-31.
https://cpmsapps.dot.state.al.us/OfficeEngineer/ProjectReports2/StipRpts/Hwy/37_Hwy.pdf

[asdfjkll]

The Northern Beltline made an appearance at the ALDOT preconstruction conference today, and they said the first section to resume construction would be the AL-79 to AL-75 segment. While the 79-75 section is getting built, they'll resume acquiring ROW and get final design ready for the US-31 to AL-79 section. Both the US-31 -> AL-79 and AL-79 -> AL-75 will have 4 lanes on one carriageway in the initial build-out, with a temporary median barrier separating the two directions of traffic. From what I've heard the beltline will also have concrete pavement instead of asphalt. The ultimate build-out will be 6-lane dual carriageway freeway, 3 lanes on each carriageway, and a median barrier separating the two carriageways. So basically they will be pulling an ARDOT I-49 Bella Vista Bypass with the Beltline, but with 6lane ultimate/4lane initial instead of 4lane ultimate/2lane initial.

[codyg1985]

The Northern Beltline made an appearance at the ALDOT preconstruction conference today, and they said the first section to resume construction would be the AL-79 to AL-75 segment. While the 79-75 section is getting built, they'll resume acquiring ROW and get final design ready for the US-31 to AL-79 section. Both the US-31 -> AL-79 and AL-79 -> AL-75 will have 4 lanes on one carriageway in the initial build-out, with a temporary median barrier separating the two directions of traffic. From what I've heard the beltline will also have concrete pavement instead of asphalt. The ultimate build-out will be 6-lane dual carriageway freeway, 3 lanes on each carriageway, and a median barrier separating the two carriageways. So basically they will be pulling an ARDOT I-49 Bella Vista Bypass with the Beltline, but with 6lane ultimate/4lane initial instead of 4lane ultimate/2lane initial.

That will certainly save them money by only building the bridges for one carriageway instead of both of them, so they can stretch the money further.

[DJStephens]

Wait, the Beltline is alive!  It was only MOSTLY dead.

https://www.wbrc.com/2023/04/12/gov-ivey-city-leaders-make-announcement-birmingham-northern-beltline/

The Channel 6 news story claims 18,000 trucks daily will be "diverted" from downtown Birmingham.  Yet the projected 10 mile stretch only goes from US - 31 to State Route 75.  How is that possible?   Even with connection from I-65 to I-59, would those numbers be possible?   

[I-55]

Wait, the Beltline is alive!  It was only MOSTLY dead.

https://www.wbrc.com/2023/04/12/gov-ivey-city-leaders-make-announcement-birmingham-northern-beltline/

The Channel 6 news story claims 18,000 trucks daily will be "diverted" from downtown Birmingham.  Yet the projected 10 mile stretch only goes from US - 31 to State Route 75.  How is that possible?   Even with connection from I-65 to I-59, would those numbers be possible?   

The full route certainly won't address any trucks on I-59 or I-20 that aren't bound to/from I-65 north of the junction (I-459 handles those movements and will still be shorter by about 10 miles between the ends of I-422), or anything on I-65 towards Montgomery period (as I-422 would be extremely out of the way west side to I-459).

It's probably easier to just say which movements it benefits: I-65 (Huntsville) to I-22 and I-59 (both directions), I-22 and anything but I-20 (Atlanta) and likely I-65 (Montgomery). The only way this will affect other movements is if there are some sort of restrictions set on I-459. I imagine the only thru movements allowed through downtown will be Montgomery and Atlanta to Huntsville (if any).

So yeah, there's not much left to divert when you account for the existence of I-459.

[formulanone]

Wait, the Beltline is alive!  It was only MOSTLY dead.

https://www.wbrc.com/2023/04/12/gov-ivey-city-leaders-make-announcement-birmingham-northern-beltline/

The Channel 6 news story claims 18,000 trucks daily will be "diverted" from downtown Birmingham.  Yet the projected 10 mile stretch only goes from US - 31 to State Route 75.  How is that possible?[/u]   Even with connection from I-65 to I-59, would those numbers be possible?   

The full route certainly won't address any trucks on I-59 or I-20 that aren't bound to/from I-65 north of the junction (I-459 handles those movements and will still be shorter by about 10 miles between the ends of I-422), or anything on I-65 towards Montgomery period (as I-422 would be extremely out of the way west side to I-459).

It's probably easier to just say which movements it benefits: I-65 (Huntsville) to I-22 and I-59 (both directions), I-22 and anything but I-20 (Atlanta) and likely I-65 (Montgomery). The only way this will affect other movements is if there are some sort of restrictions set on I-459. I imagine the only thru movements allowed through downtown will be Montgomery and Atlanta to Huntsville (if any).

So yeah, there's not much left to divert when you account for the existence of I-459.

Any math is possible with a mathmagician-politician.

[lordsutch]

Has the Interstate 22 connection with US 31 (future Exit 95C) been completed yet? If not, does anyone know when it might be completed?

Not much to do to build it....however I doubt it ever gets built. Overhead signs were installed and covered on US 31 when I-22 was completed for the connection but ALDOT removed them about a year later implying it's been indefinitely put on hold or cancelled.

ALDOT did put the project in the draft STIP for 2024-27 at one point, but it seems to have disappeared again.