ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
June 29 2011 Vol. XXII • No. 13
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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Crews Replace 30-Year-Old Concrete on I-65 in Alabama By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
In an effort to improve driving conditions, crews in Jefferson County, Ala., are rebuilding the original, 30-year-old concrete roadbed on a more than 2-mi. (3.2 km) segment of Interstate 65. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The project, estimated at $21 million, replaces the maintenance intensive segment of I-65 from the well-traveled I-459 to U.S. Highway 31. The project is part of Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT) Progress on Alabama Roadways campaign to preserve critical highway infrastructure. When finished, the new concrete surface will provide a smoother ride along one of the state’s busiest interstate corridors. The first traffic impact began in midMarch, with the inside southbound lane closed for one weekend in the area where I65 South crosses over I-459. The inside southbound lane was shut down to allow a safe zone for workers to upgrade the shoulThe project, estimated at $21 million, replaces the maintenance intensive segment of I-65 from the well-traveled I-459 to U.S. Highway 31.
In an effort to improve driving conditions, crews in Jefferson County, Ala., are rebuilding the original, 30-year-old concrete roadbed on a more than 2-mi. (3.2 km) segment of Interstate 65.
der in the area so that future phases of work could be carried out. Other early phases of work will result in outside shoulder upgrades on I-65 northbound and southbound, and will require the outside lane in both directions to be closed and blocked off by temporary concrete barrier walls to provide a safe work zone. Once the shoulders are upgraded, traffic will be shifted while rebuilding begins first on the northbound lanes, then on the southbound lanes. ALDOT plans to minimize traffic impacts; however, the project will result in lane closures and traffic shifts throughout the duration of the project. It also will result in the use of alternate routes while exit ramps are closed to be rebuilt. Ramp closures will be done one at a time, ranging from a maxi-
mum of eight to 14 days each. ALDOT stresses that efforts will be made to minimize traffic impacts and avoid conflicts with holiday travel and major sporting events. “We’ve worked hard to plan this Interstate 65 rebuilding project in a way that minimizes impacts on commuters and throughtraffic as much as possible,” said Transportation Director John R. Cooper. “In 2008, the Tennessee DOT completely closed Interstate 40 in downtown Knoxville for more than a year for a rebuilding project. We’re moving forward with a plan that tries to keep at least two lanes open at all times. We believe this project will provide a high quality rebuild while still keeping I-65 open with single lane closures and short-duration ramp closures. We’ve studied a number of see ALABAMA page 2