Looks like the first part of the long-planned I-85 extension is finally moving forward:
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=14077583 (http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=14077583)
According to the article (courtesy of WSFA-TV in Montgomery), both I-85 and I-685 will share the same 14-mile section in the city, from I-65 to a new southern bypass, onto which I-85 will eventually be rerouted. So unlike in Spartanburg and Greensboro, at least the former I-85 will still be signed as an Interstate, albeit a 3di.
Here is a link to AASHTO's approval pending FHWA approval of Alabama's applications for I-85 and I-685:
http://www.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/10-29-2010%20USRN%20Minutes%20Biloxi,%20MS.pdf
I assume FHWA approval would come when construction on the Montgomery Outer Loop is further along.
EDIT
I'm surprised AASHTO granted "pending approval" to the section of the I-85 extension from I-65 to I-59 near Cuba, AL.
I wish that once the interstate is extended to I-59 that it be renamed I-20 to Atlanta, have i-22 assume 20's segment from Birmingham to Atlanta, have 20 and 85 concurrent from Atlant to Columbus with 85 going south at that point. this could divert a decent amount of NO/Atlanta bound traffic off the 59/20 overlap, plus "clean up" the numbering grid a bit.
Also mentioned at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=5555.msg122519#msg122519 and https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=5555.msg125405#msg125405
Quote from: Grzrd on January 12, 2012, 01:06:23 PM
I assume FHWA approval would come when construction on the Montgomery Outer Loop is further along.
I'm surprised AASHTO granted "pending approval" to the section of the I-85 extension from I-65 to I-59 near Cuba, AL.
The Montgomery Outer Loop seems a worthwhile project, but I don't see the need for an Interstate highway from I-65 to I-59 near Cuba, AL. Over 80% of the US-80 corridor has already been upgraded to 4-lane divided, and that type of highway for the corridor should suffice.
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 12, 2012, 01:37:25 PM
I wish that once the interstate is extended to I-59 that it be renamed I-20 to Atlanta, have i-22 assume 20's segment from Birmingham to Atlanta, have 20 and 85 concurrent from Atlant to Columbus with 85 going south at that point. this could divert a decent amount of NO/Atlanta bound traffic off the 59/20 overlap, plus "clean up" the numbering grid a bit.
Why have I-85, a major two-digit interstate...end at Columbus? I don't get it. A decent amount of traffic from New Orleans already uses the Mobile-Montgomery-Atlanta route in addition to Meridian-Birmingham-Atlanta.
I would save the 85 designation for going south via Dothan
I think I-22 should be extended southeast through Auburn, Columbus, Albany, Tifton, and Waycross to Jacksonville personally.
yeah, realistically, the 280 corridor is a far larger problem than repurposing US 80 as an interstate west of Montgomery. Either that or spend the money to get an interstate built from Florence to Tuscaloosa to Mobile. That would at least serve the purpose of hurricane evacuation while also serving the "Black Belt" counties.
Quote from: BamaZeus on January 16, 2012, 12:12:44 PM
an interstate built from Florence to Tuscaloosa to Mobile.
That already is in the works, as a toll road. Its northern terminus is actually going to be at Highway 43 just south of the Tennessee border. I'm actually not overly ecstatic about that road, however. If I were to rank the most needed interstates in the Southeast, they would be:
#1. I-24 in downtown Chattanooga --> Soddy-Daisy --> Dunlap --> Sparta --> Cookeville --> Celina --> Tompkinsville --> Glasgow --> I-65 Cave City (overlaying much of Corridor J): Shortens Chattanooga to Louisville distance (which is a segment of a MAJOR truck route) by 60 to 75 miles, relieves congestion through Nashville, I-24 east of Murfreesboro, and I-65 north of Goodlettsville
#2. Chattanooga beltway on south, east, and north sides, from the I-24 / I-59 interchange through Chickamauga, Ringgold, and Collegedale to Highway 27 / Corridor J in Soddy-Daisy: Relieves congestion in the city that has been ranked the most congested per lane mile for trucks
#3. I-75 Dalton --> Chatsworth --> Ellijay --> Dahlonega --> Toccoa --> Anderson --> Laurens --> Columbia --> Sumter --> Myrtle Beach: The Dalton to Anderson section especially will give Chattanooga to Greenville or vice-versa traffic an alternative to traveling down into metropolitan Atlanta and using the northern arc of I-285, and give communities that currently only a good road to the south an east-west route. The Anderson to Laurens route (which the new terrain segment will be roughly 2 or 3 miles south of highways 8 and 418, the rest following interstates 85 and 385) will connect the westernmost principle city of the Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson CSA (the largest CSA) in the state better to the capital. And the Columbia to Myrtle Beach segment will provide an additional route into and out of Myrtle Beach which would serve as a great hurricane evacuation route if needed.
#4. Birmingham --> Auburn --> Columbus --> Albany --> Tifton --> Waycross --> Jacksonville: Memphis is one of the nation's most important distribution centers, and Florida has 19 million population, so even if there were nothing else (which there is) this should be obvious
#5. Florence --> Rockingham --> Asheboro --> Greensboro (currently under construction as I-73): It's already 60% complete, and the Greensboro / Winston-Salem area has grown quite large over the past couple decades and needs a better connection to the south
But even if we were limiting it to just Alabama (or passing through Alabama), I could think of two that would be better than the Mobile --> Tuscaloosa --> Florence, and those two would be:
#1. Montgomery --> Troy --> Dothan --> Panama City
#2. Memphis --> Corinth --> Florence --> Decatur --> Huntsville --> Fort Payne --> Rome --> Cartersville
I know I am bumping this thread, but ALDOT is planning on letting the base, pave, and signage contract this month for the first part of the Montgomery Outer Loop from I-85 south to AL 110. Eventually, once the loop is finished to I-65, the MOL will become I-85, and existing I-85 inside the loop will be redesignated as I-685.
Here are some signs from the plans (http://alletting.dot.state.al.us/PLANPROP/20140530_CALL_009_PLANS.pdf). Notice the use of one arrow per lane, which is a first in Alabama. Temporarily, the road will be signed as AL 108, and the control city will be "Pike Road,", but the signage plans include the eventual signs for I-685 once the entire loop is finished. I assume the temporary signs will be installed as separate panels over the I-685 ones for now.
Initial signage:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FuHE9IxT.png&hash=09ac25dbe1ac13e46ffc94ee9280d0192489788c)
Signage once MOL is finished:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F31SSJnt.png&hash=34c6cbb69661ecff8c688dc14b2603efd734a807)
From those plans it looks like when the outer loop is complete that I-85 south will go from Exit 15 to Exit 22, or are these going to be changed once I-85 takes over for AL 108? And what is that extension going north from the I-85/MOL interchange? It's shown on the cover sheet.
Quote from: flaroads on May 09, 2014, 08:23:58 AM
From those plans it looks like when the outer loop is complete that I-85 south will go from Exit 15 to Exit 22, or are these going to be changed once I-85 takes over for AL 108? And what is that extension going north from the I-85/MOL interchange? It's shown on the cover sheet.
I guess they will renumber all of the exits along I-85 to reflect the new mileage once the loop is finished, but I do wonder why they didn't include the new exit number on the I-685/I-85 panels?
I think the extension is a proposal to build the loop back north to tie in with I-65 somewhere near Prattville. I don't know if that is a done deal, though.
202 pages for the MOL plans.. whoa. do you know which page does these signs come from?
Please refresh my memory: I parr of the intent with the project to provide a way for 85 to continue west from Montgomery in the far future?
Yes. To Cuba, AL to meet up with I-20/59
Are any segments to bring that about even on the drawing board yet?
I know there are a few websites showing that, but I'm not familiar with it. I am sure someone will answer your question.
I wish they'd sigh I-685 as east-west. :banghead:
The main I-85 extension website has been taken down. I do not know if that means the EIS was completed or if the project was shelved. The Draft EIS was completed in 2010. And except for Preliminary Engineering on a stretch of the Montgomery Outer Loop, there are no projects related to any I-85 extension in ALDOT's Draft 5 Year Plan.
You know, I've stated this here before, if 85 is ever extended to Cuba. I think a major renumbering needs to take place:
20: Cuba-Montgomery-Columbus-Atlanta
22: Memphis-Birmingham-Atlanta
85: Atlanta-Columbus-Dothan-I-10
Mostly to pull some thru traffic off of 59/20
Quote from: Tom958 on May 11, 2014, 08:21:56 AM
I wish they'd sigh I-685 as east-west. :banghead:
I get why you would want it east-west, but it makes sense to simply keep it north-south; considering it's an odd-digit interstate, it was originally north-south and it rolls right into I-85, which is still north-south.
I'm not sure what the exact route of a proposed I-85 extension west of Montgomery would be, but does anyone else find the irony that in order for I-85 south to connect Montgomery with Selma, it will have to travel in a NNW trajectory?
if this extension comes to pass those who are Going from Meridian to Atlanta will have their choice: Either take I-85 to the Airport and then downtown or Take I-20 directly downtown. Really, I think the extension of I-85 to I-20-59 is highly redundant. Why do we need two Interstates that goes to the same place? One road to Atlanta is enough.
Quote from: richllewis on May 12, 2014, 03:47:39 AM
if this extension comes to pass those who are Going from Meridian to Atlanta will have their choice: Either take I-85 to the Airport and then downtown or Take I-20 directly downtown. Really, I think the extension of I-85 to I-20-59 is highly redundant. Why do we need two Interstates that goes to the same place? One road to Atlanta is enough.
LOL, I don't think the people of Alabama care if you can't decide which interstate to take to Atlanta, assuming they extend I-85 through Selma to I-20. It would be more like pick your poison: Birmingham or Montgomery.
Quote from: Charles2 on May 11, 2014, 07:37:15 PM
I'm not sure what the exact route of a proposed I-85 extension west of Montgomery would be, but does anyone else find the irony that in order for I-85 south to connect Montgomery with Selma, it will have to travel in a NNW trajectory?
Which is the opposite of what it normally takes, a SSW trajectory. But there's precedent for Interstates bending the opposite way, the most prominent example being the Tidewater region's I-64 east that actually travels west.
I've driven the I-77/81 wrong way multiplex. It won't be that big of a deal, and Alabama could even seek to do something like Michigan did with I-69 an sign it east/west.
Quote from: richllewis on May 12, 2014, 03:47:39 AM
if this extension comes to pass those who are Going from Meridian to Atlanta will have their choice: Either take I-85 to the Airport and then downtown or Take I-20 directly downtown. Really, I think the extension of I-85 to I-20-59 is highly redundant. Why do we need two Interstates that goes to the same place? One road to Atlanta is enough.
I agree. Just a waste of time.
Quote from: brownpelican on May 18, 2014, 09:05:23 PM
Quote from: richllewis on May 12, 2014, 03:47:39 AM
if this extension comes to pass those who are Going from Meridian to Atlanta will have their choice: Either take I-85 to the Airport and then downtown or Take I-20 directly downtown. Really, I think the extension of I-85 to I-20-59 is highly redundant. Why do we need two Interstates that goes to the same place? One road to Atlanta is enough.
I agree. Just a waste of time.
Evidently it's been a while since you've traveled I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta. Even with the widening of I-20 between Birmingham and the Georgia state line, this is a very crowded highway. Anything to provide relief in east-central Alabama would be welcomed.
However, such relief does not necessarily have to take the form of an Interstate shield.
Nevermind that the vast majority of traffic on that stretch of I-20 is B'ham-Anniston-Atlanta traffic, not longer-distance traffic.
Right now, there is LITTLE traffic on US 80 between Montgomery and Meridian. Do you REALLY expect traffic counts to skyrocket with I-85 extended? I think not.
Maybe they are being slick, what happens when 69 is completed to I-20 but not between there and Memphis?
Quote from: Charles2 on May 18, 2014, 09:26:42 PM
Quote from: brownpelican on May 18, 2014, 09:05:23 PM
Quote from: richllewis on May 12, 2014, 03:47:39 AM
if this extension comes to pass those who are Going from Meridian to Atlanta will have their choice: Either take I-85 to the Airport and then downtown or Take I-20 directly downtown. Really, I think the extension of I-85 to I-20-59 is highly redundant. Why do we need two Interstates that goes to the same place? One road to Atlanta is enough.
I agree. Just a waste of time.
Evidently it's been a while since you've traveled I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta. Even with the widening of I-20 between Birmingham and the Georgia state line, this is a very crowded highway. Anything to provide relief in east-central Alabama would be welcomed.
Quote from: Charles2 on May 18, 2014, 09:26:42 PM
Quote from: brownpelican on May 18, 2014, 09:05:23 PM
Quote from: richllewis on May 12, 2014, 03:47:39 AM
if this extension comes to pass those who are Going from Meridian to Atlanta will have their choice: Either take I-85 to the Airport and then downtown or Take I-20 directly downtown. Really, I think the extension of I-85 to I-20-59 is highly redundant. Why do we need two Interstates that goes to the same place? One road to Atlanta is enough.
I agree. Just a waste of time.
Evidently it's been a while since you've traveled I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta. Even with the widening of I-20 between Birmingham and the Georgia state line, this is a very crowded highway. Anything to provide relief in east-central Alabama would be welcomed.
There is precedent to this, you know. Between Chicago and Madison, I-90 acts as a bypass of Milwaukee, a city that is served by I-94, and then from Tomah to Billings, I-90 can be used by motorists who wish to avoid the Twin Cities and Fargo (again, areas that are served by I-94).
Quote from: Daniel Fiddler on January 16, 2012, 11:06:12 PM
Quote from: BamaZeus on January 16, 2012, 12:12:44 PM
an interstate built from Florence to Tuscaloosa to Mobile.
That already is in the works, as a toll road. Its northern terminus is actually going to be at Highway 43 just south of the Tennessee border. I'm actually not overly ecstatic about that road, however. If I were to rank the most needed interstates in the Southeast, they would be:
#1. I-24 in downtown Chattanooga --> Soddy-Daisy --> Dunlap --> Sparta --> Cookeville --> Celina --> Tompkinsville --> Glasgow --> I-65 Cave City (overlaying much of Corridor J): Shortens Chattanooga to Louisville distance (which is a segment of a MAJOR truck route) by 60 to 75 miles, relieves congestion through Nashville, I-24 east of Murfreesboro, and I-65 north of Goodlettsville
#2. Chattanooga beltway on south, east, and north sides, from the I-24 / I-59 interchange through Chickamauga, Ringgold, and Collegedale to Highway 27 / Corridor J in Soddy-Daisy: Relieves congestion in the city that has been ranked the most congested per lane mile for trucks
#3. I-75 Dalton --> Chatsworth --> Ellijay --> Dahlonega --> Toccoa --> Anderson --> Laurens --> Columbia --> Sumter --> Myrtle Beach: The Dalton to Anderson section especially will give Chattanooga to Greenville or vice-versa traffic an alternative to traveling down into metropolitan Atlanta and using the northern arc of I-285, and give communities that currently only a good road to the south an east-west route. The Anderson to Laurens route (which the new terrain segment will be roughly 2 or 3 miles south of highways 8 and 418, the rest following interstates 85 and 385) will connect the westernmost principle city of the Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson CSA (the largest CSA) in the state better to the capital. And the Columbia to Myrtle Beach segment will provide an additional route into and out of Myrtle Beach which would serve as a great hurricane evacuation route if needed.
#4. Birmingham --> Auburn --> Columbus --> Albany --> Tifton --> Waycross --> Jacksonville: Memphis is one of the nation's most important distribution centers, and Florida has 19 million population, so even if there were nothing else (which there is) this should be obvious
#5. Florence --> Rockingham --> Asheboro --> Greensboro (currently under construction as I-73): It's already 60% complete, and the Greensboro / Winston-Salem area has grown quite large over the past couple decades and needs a better connection to the south
But even if we were limiting it to just Alabama (or passing through Alabama), I could think of two that would be better than the Mobile --> Tuscaloosa --> Florence, and those two would be:
#1. Montgomery --> Troy --> Dothan --> Panama City
#2. Memphis --> Corinth --> Florence --> Decatur --> Huntsville --> Fort Payne --> Rome --> Cartersville
1. It will not happen. Too many tax and tourist dollars would be diverted by having too much through traffic. We need the money spent in fuel, rooms and tourism on the current routing. Why spend our tax dollars to build something for out-of-towners while not getting any reward? :ded:
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on May 23, 2014, 01:43:03 PM
Quote from: Daniel Fiddler on January 16, 2012, 11:06:12 PM
Quote from: BamaZeus on January 16, 2012, 12:12:44 PM
an interstate built from Florence to Tuscaloosa to Mobile.
That already is in the works, as a toll road. Its northern terminus is actually going to be at Highway 43 just south of the Tennessee border. I'm actually not overly ecstatic about that road, however. If I were to rank the most needed interstates in the Southeast, they would be:
#1. I-24 in downtown Chattanooga --> Soddy-Daisy --> Dunlap --> Sparta --> Cookeville --> Celina --> Tompkinsville --> Glasgow --> I-65 Cave City (overlaying much of Corridor J): Shortens Chattanooga to Louisville distance (which is a segment of a MAJOR truck route) by 60 to 75 miles, relieves congestion through Nashville, I-24 east of Murfreesboro, and I-65 north of Goodlettsville
#2. Chattanooga beltway on south, east, and north sides, from the I-24 / I-59 interchange through Chickamauga, Ringgold, and Collegedale to Highway 27 / Corridor J in Soddy-Daisy: Relieves congestion in the city that has been ranked the most congested per lane mile for trucks
#3. I-75 Dalton --> Chatsworth --> Ellijay --> Dahlonega --> Toccoa --> Anderson --> Laurens --> Columbia --> Sumter --> Myrtle Beach: The Dalton to Anderson section especially will give Chattanooga to Greenville or vice-versa traffic an alternative to traveling down into metropolitan Atlanta and using the northern arc of I-285, and give communities that currently only a good road to the south an east-west route. The Anderson to Laurens route (which the new terrain segment will be roughly 2 or 3 miles south of highways 8 and 418, the rest following interstates 85 and 385) will connect the westernmost principle city of the Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson CSA (the largest CSA) in the state better to the capital. And the Columbia to Myrtle Beach segment will provide an additional route into and out of Myrtle Beach which would serve as a great hurricane evacuation route if needed.
#4. Birmingham --> Auburn --> Columbus --> Albany --> Tifton --> Waycross --> Jacksonville: Memphis is one of the nation's most important distribution centers, and Florida has 19 million population, so even if there were nothing else (which there is) this should be obvious
#5. Florence --> Rockingham --> Asheboro --> Greensboro (currently under construction as I-73): It's already 60% complete, and the Greensboro / Winston-Salem area has grown quite large over the past couple decades and needs a better connection to the south
But even if we were limiting it to just Alabama (or passing through Alabama), I could think of two that would be better than the Mobile --> Tuscaloosa --> Florence, and those two would be:
#1. Montgomery --> Troy --> Dothan --> Panama City
#2. Memphis --> Corinth --> Florence --> Decatur --> Huntsville --> Fort Payne --> Rome --> Cartersville
1. It will not happen. Too many tax and tourist dollars would be diverted by having too much through traffic. We need the money spent in fuel, rooms and tourism on the current routing. Why spend our tax dollars to build something for out-of-towners while not getting any reward? :ded:
What happened to the Hendersonville-Kings Mountain-Gastonia-Charlotte-Rockingham-Laurinburg-Whiteville-Wilmington route? Granted, parts of it are already built (as I-85, I-73 and I-74), but this is another Southeastern corridor that could use a new Interstate number.
Google Maps has posted April 2014 Street View imagery (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Montgomery,+AL/@32.368249,-86.079903,3a,75y,211.1h,93.01t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sU-vtOaQUHP6DN8Iz36FNwg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x888e8194b0d481f9:0x8e1b511d354285ff) of the interchange construction.
And so it begins...
Is the traffic count even something that would warrant this? Looks like a kickback and a boondoggle.
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on July 16, 2014, 02:13:14 PM
Is the traffic count even something that would warrant this? Looks like a kickback and a boondoggle.
Right. :thumbsup:
Heading down to Montgomery later today. If I have time I will check out the progress.
Quote from: jdb1234 on July 22, 2014, 01:24:08 PM
Heading down to Montgomery later today. If I have time I will check out the progress.
It would be interesting to know if the new DMS signs along I-65 have been activated yet.
Quote from: codyg1985 on July 22, 2014, 01:50:16 PM
Quote from: jdb1234 on July 22, 2014, 01:24:08 PM
Heading down to Montgomery later today. If I have time I will check out the progress.
It would be interesting to know if the new DMS signs along I-65 have been activated yet.
You mean like this:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi761.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx260%2Fjdbarnes1234%2F038.jpg&hash=1006f1ae1f29d2120c327a1a1fe1ca5e0c1e36cb)
When I went 3 weeks ago I did sneak over and snapped a few photos. Here is one example:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi761.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx260%2Fjdbarnes1234%2F093.jpg&hash=bbc045156a0046f3e513a9678074ab10b3086f0e)
Quote from: Grzrd on July 16, 2014, 12:29:22 PM
Google Maps has posted April 2014 Street View imagery (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Montgomery,+AL/@32.368249,-86.079903,3a,75y,211.1h,93.01t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sU-vtOaQUHP6DN8Iz36FNwg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x888e8194b0d481f9:0x8e1b511d354285ff) of the interchange construction.
Google also has new 45d imagery showing the ramps under-construction if you zoom in far enough.
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on August 11, 2014, 09:53:08 PM
Quote from: Grzrd on July 16, 2014, 12:29:22 PM
Google Maps has posted April 2014 Street View imagery (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Montgomery,+AL/@32.368249,-86.079903,3a,75y,211.1h,93.01t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sU-vtOaQUHP6DN8Iz36FNwg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x888e8194b0d481f9:0x8e1b511d354285ff) of the interchange construction.
Google also has new 45d imagery showing the ramps under-construction if you zoom in far enough.
Sweet! I'll have to check that out.
I am curious.. why are the ramps (flyovers) so high over the mainline? is the interchange supposed to be a tri-level stack in the future?
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 13, 2012, 04:44:07 PM
I would save the 85 designation for going south via Dothan
Either that or another thought:I-85 to Mobile and I-65 through Dothan, Bainbridge and Tallahassee .....?
Quote from: I94RoadRunner on August 13, 2014, 07:46:08 PM
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 13, 2012, 04:44:07 PM
I would save the 85 designation for going south via Dothan
Either that or another thought:I-85 to Mobile and I-65 through Dothan, Bainbridge and Tallahassee .....?
I'd love to see the Montgomery to Meridian proposed I-85 get another number, such as I-16 (provided that got extended west from Macon to Columbus), then reroute I-65 and I-85 as you suggested. Or, do a more grand reshuffle as I think has been mentioned in this thread and others and reroute I-20 along the Meridian to Montgomery freeway, replace I-85 from Montgomery to Atlanta with I-20, truncate I-85 to Atlanta, and then extend I-22 east from Birmingham to Atlanta. That would also kill most of the long I-20/59 multiplex between Meridian and Birmingham, too. If a freeway between Montgomery and Dothan to I-10 ever gets built, then the former proposal would probably work best to avoid creating another long interstate multiplex.
Of course, both of those depend on all of those freeways being built in the first place, and at this point it seems like it is almost fictional highway territory with the way the federal funding for roads has been, and will probably continue to be for some time.
Quote from: codyg1985 on August 14, 2014, 06:55:56 AM
Quote from: I94RoadRunner on August 13, 2014, 07:46:08 PM
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on January 13, 2012, 04:44:07 PM
I would save the 85 designation for going south via Dothan
Either that or another thought:I-85 to Mobile and I-65 through Dothan, Bainbridge and Tallahassee .....?
I'd love to see the Montgomery to Meridian proposed I-85 get another number, such as I-16 (provided that got extended west from Macon to Columbus), then reroute I-65 and I-85 as you suggested. Or, do a more grand reshuffle as I think has been mentioned in this thread and others and reroute I-20 along the Meridian to Montgomery freeway, replace I-85 from Montgomery to Atlanta with I-20, truncate I-85 to Atlanta, and then extend I-22 east from Birmingham to Atlanta. That would also kill most of the long I-20/59 multiplex between Meridian and Birmingham, too. If a freeway between Montgomery and Dothan to I-10 ever gets built, then the former proposal would probably work best to avoid creating another long interstate multiplex.
Of course, both of those depend on all of those freeways being built in the first place, and at this point it seems like it is almost fictional highway territory with the way the federal funding for roads has been, and will probably continue to be for some time.
I am aware that Dothan wants an interstate. It would make sense to me if so to route it east and include Bainbridge and into Tallahassee if it were to get built though as those are cities that would all receive the benefit of a new interstate highway. Despite Dothan pushing for an interstate, I highly doubt that a new N-S interstate through this area will happen in my lifetime ..... If ever!
I think if anything happens along that corridor it will be built as a toll road.
It looks like the structures are done and paving has started on this initial section, though it looks like a stupor 2. Are their any thoughts as to when the next segment will start and if so where will the next terminus be?
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on April 13, 2015, 03:20:32 AM
It looks like the structures are done and paving has started on this initial section, though it looks like a stupor 2. Are their any thoughts as to when the next segment will start and if so where will the next terminus be?
Not sure when the next section will begin construction. I believe the next segment is supposed to go to US 82.
First segment of Future I-85 has now opened.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/01/first_leg_of_montgomery_outer.html
How many decades will it be before the rest of the route is completed? Construction moved at a snail's pace.
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on February 03, 2016, 04:26:31 PM
How many decades will it be before the rest of the route is completed? Construction moved at a snail's pace.
Alabama construction projects accelerate or decelerate depending on the regional biases of those making decisions.