I-65 Widening Project In Shelby County To Start Early 2018

PELHAM, AL — The widening of I-65 in north Shelby County has been a priority of Gov. Kay Ivey since this past May when she was made aware of the heavy congestion by the County legislative body as well as from John Cooper, the director of ALDOT. The winning bid from Dunn Construction and Wiregrass Construction, was selected last Friday, Dec. 1, according to ALDOT.

Their joint bid of $67.5 million is still under review, but construction is slated to start early next year with a proposed end in 2020. The scope of the project involves widening the 3.5 mile stretch of I-65 from from Exit 238 in Alabaster to Exit 242 in Pelham from four lanes to six.

"By expanding I-65 in Shelby County, we are not only meeting a long-overlooked need in our state, we are also signaling that economic development is central to my administration and that Alabama is open for business, Ivey said in a May statement. "I instructed Director Cooper to move forward with this project because it is the right thing to do for the people and businesses of Alabama."

According to al.com in a statement from the governor’s office, this section of roadway handles over 93,000 vehicles per day. Over 12,000 of those vehicles are tractor-trailers. Over the next 20 years, the roadway is expected to handle over 150,000 vehicles with the area continuing to grow, said Cooper.

For more on the story, visit al.com.

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