MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Nighttime lane closures on Interstate 65 are expected to begin Sunday night when the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), begins work on the Tennessee River Bridges.
If you’ve recently traveled north or south bound on I-65, there’s a chance you’ve seen road signs about lane closures. ALDOT will begin a $24 million dollar rehabilitation project Monday that will address a number of repairs.
Seth Burkett with ALDOT says the goal is to maintain its by replacing some of the steel, repairing concrete, and repainting the bridge.
“It’s going to be a lot of things that are maintenance related getting it up to a better condition and to extend the bridge’s useful lifespan. We’ve done rehabilitation projects on bridges and it can sometimes extend the amount of time you can keep that bridge in service for up to decades,” said Burkett.
Thousands of cars travel on the bridge daily and the river crossing is vital in connecting the region with other parts of Alabama and beyond, but as the work begins, so will the delays.
Officials with ALDOT say nighttime lane closures will help minimize impacts on traffic during the duration of the project.
“Although there will be some lane closures and some frustration for motorists at times, it’s going to save you on delays that you would have in the future due to maintenance operations to repair things,” Burkett said.
People are asked to travel with extreme caution when the project starts for their own safety, as well as the safety of ALDOT road workers.
Burkett, however did not rule out periodic lane closures during the day throughout parts of the project, but once completed, he believes it could prevent larger issues from happening in the future.
“Many of these to start off with for the first month or two are going to be at night, but there will be times where we have lane closures during the day that will be far more impactful to traffic,” Burkett told News 19.
Barring any setbacks, Burkett says the project is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2026.
