Alabama is undergoing three highway upgrades with the onset of warmer weather. Projects include widening I-65 in Shelby County, safety improvements on US Highway 280 in Alexander City and additional truck passing lanes on US Highway 431 in Chambers County. Funding comes from Gov. Ivey's Rebuild Alabama law.
ALDOT map
A project to widen Interstate 65 in Alabama’s Shelby County is now under way, according to the state’s Department of Transportation (ALDOT).
A project to widen Interstate 65 in Alabama's Shelby County is now under way, according to the state's Department of Transportation (ALDOT).
Crews will add lanes from I-65 Exit 231 north of the town of Calera to Exit 238 at Alabaster.
Both communities are south of Birmingham.
The roadwork will expand this section of the interstate to six lanes and replace eight outdated bridges, six of which are over rail tracks and another two over Shelby County Road 26. The modern and wider structures are designed to ease congestion and improve traffic flow through the busy corridor.
According to 2023 census data, Calera is one of the fastest growing towns in Alabama. To the north, the city of Alabaster also is seeing more expansion as evidenced by a new, $242 million commercial development just off I-65's Exit 238. That project was approved last year, reported Bham Now, an online news service based in Birmingham.
ALDOT noted in a news release that the I-65 project is to be completed in three phases that will eventually be under construction all at once. The state agency awarded Birmingham's Dunn Construction Inc. the first phase of the work, which will cost $44.05 million.
Funding for the project comes from Gov. Kay Ivey's Rebuild Alabama law, passed in 2019 to raise the gas tax to fund critical transportation projects throughout the state. By 2023, more than $170 million had been awarded to cities and counties through the initiative's two grant programs.
The I-65 expansion was first announced by Ivey during a press event in August 2023, according to ALDOT.
"It was exciting to think about this announcement as I drove up [I-65] this morning, seeing the progress we are making around Clanton and the progress we have already made around Alabaster," she said. "And folks, let me tell you, this is just one of many Alabama roads benefiting from our Rebuild Alabama effort. We are all familiar with the phrase ‘No man left behind.' Well, Rebuild Alabama seeks to ensure we have no road, bridge or area of our state left behind."
"Improving Alabama's infrastructure is one of my top priorities as governor," she added.
Corridor Improvements Set to Begin in Alexander City
The I-65 expansion is not the only road project that ALDOT has going as the 2025 construction season gets under way.
In March 2025, the department began its management of a safety improvement project for U.S. Highway 280 through Alexander City in east-central Alabama.
The project limits extend from the intersection of U.S. 280 at Alabama Highway 22/Lee Street south to the intersection of U.S. 280 at Airport Road, the agency noted.
It will feature the construction of additional turn lanes, offset turn lanes, modified median crossovers and signal improvements. These modifications are needed for improved safety and traffic operations along the highway, according to the state transportation agency.
Intermittent temporary lane and shoulder closures will occur during the work, which should take six to eight weeks to complete. ALDOT added that a U.S. 280 resurfacing project is also scheduled to take place along the corridor later this summer.
More Truck Passing Lanes on U.S. Highway 431
To the east of Alexander City, in Chambers County, another road project is set to get under way on or about March 24, 2025, to add additional truck passing lanes onto U.S. Highway 431, ALDOT announced earlier in the month.
The work was awarded to Gary Ingram Grading and Paving Inc., in Dadeville, for $8.17 million. The contract calls for the company to complete the project within 170 days.
It will add approximately 2.4 mi. of additional lanes at two locations along U.S. 431, according to ALDOT.
The southern location, from Milepost 164.8 to MP 165.5, will provide a second lane for southbound traffic, while the northern section will provide a second northbound lane from MP 174.208 to approximately MP 174.8 and a second southbound lane from that point to just south of Chambers County Road 278.
Paving crews also are slated to add a left-turn lane for southbound traffic on U.S. 431 turning onto County Road 278, the state agency noted in a news release.
Additional work involves resurfacing as part of ALDOT's annual maintenance program to upgrade older and deteriorating sections of roadway. Resurfacing will improve U.S. 431 from just south of County Road 93 to just north of County Road 229.
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