Photo by Erin Nelson.
Motorists merge onto Interstate 59 South from Chalkville Mountain Road in Trussville.
Traffic congestion along Interstate 59 through Trussville has long been an issue, and the state has taken notice.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced during her 2022 State of the State Address that I-59 would widen from four lanes to six lanes from Chalkville Mountain Road to Interstate 459 in the Trussville area. This section of I-59 currently has only two lanes on each of the northbound and southbound sides, often causing gridlock.
Trussville Mayor Buddy Choat said that the Alabama Department of Transportation has indicated the work will begin this summer.
In her address, Ivey named two projects, the West Alabama Corridor, which will connect Mobile to Tuscaloosa with a four-lane highway, and expanding Interstate 10 in west Mobile from Theodore to Irvington to six lanes. She then announced the I-59 project.
“I promised that our roads would be the envy of the nation,” Ivey said. “While our work is far from over, we have made significant progress thanks to the Rebuild Alabama Act. As promised, every single penny has gone to road and bridge projects, as well as to our Port. I am proud to report that on top of the local improvements, the state has administered projects in almost all 67 counties already, and like I said, we’ve only just begun.”
