Posted on 05/08/2016 9:49:10 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
According to the Alabama Department of Transportation says the I-22 Corridor X project is almost complete.
According to ALDOT engineers, the project is in the cleanup phase, with the I-65 tie all but complete.
"We don't have an exact time," ALDOT Engineer DeJarvis Leonard told WBRC Fox 6. "But we feel that based on the progress that's been made, by June, we should have traffic on the interchange and on the paving project."
Engineers also said horses are regularly wandering around the construction and an owner hasn't been identified.
Georgia-based Archer Western is the contractor for the $168 million project.
Work started on the interchange between Interstate 65 and Interstate 22, also called Corridor X, several years ago, but was not completed by its initial deadline in 2014. Since that time, Archer Western has been fined $2,000 per day.
I-22 will connect Birmingham and Memphis. The project is expected to boost commercial and residential development in the northwest portions of metro Birmingham once the interchange with I-65 is completed. The bulk of the new interstate, which has been in the works for decades, is complete.
This interstate was started in the early 80s.
Is there a map showing this?
Yep. Started as a rebuild of the Pississippi portion of US 78. Which was upgraded at that time to Interstate standards for the most part with proper interchanges and signage. If memory serves, Congress did not give clearance for I-22 until somewhere around 2006. Of course Alabama US78 was still in full 1940 standards until Congressional approval, so it is just now being finished.
Me, I am sad to see another motorcycle friendly highway gone the way of the Dodo bird. I hope both states will continue to maintain US 78. Nice ride from Memphis through Tupelo to Birmingham in order to go to Barber Motorcycle Museum and Motorsports park.
Pississippi = Mississippi.
I have no idea how that happened
Ah, thanks for your post. I am familiar with 78 since I traveled it many hours. Did not realize that was the core of the project. BTW, Florence, Alabama is one of the neatest cities in the South. I wanted to retire there, but alas, circumstances did not permit it. I would have taken a few classes of topical interest at U of N. AL in retirement.
Live in Memphis and been traveling this road for many decades. I was born in Montgomery,AL and my parents originally from Memphis so my parents started traveling this route back in 1973 or 1974. Back in the 90’s it would take about 5-6 hours from Memphis to Birmingham and now it can be done in 3.
Thank God we did the main parts expeditiously back in the 50s and 60s. There would be no hope today.
Old 78 was a frustrating drive. Too much Birmingham,followed by too much speed up/slow down between every speed trap town until hitting Corridor X at the Mississippi line. 22 is boring with not much development, but at least it is consistent.
Glad to see it’s finally getting finished. I’ve taken I-22 several times from Memphis toward Birmingham in the last four or five years, only to have it dump me off in the middle of nowhere 20-25 miles northeast of Birmingham.
The new stretch of I-69 heading northeast from Evansville, Indiana toward Inianapolis still does that - gets you about halfway then dumps you off in the boondocks. I expect it’ll be a few more years before that stretch opens.
I-69 has opened all the way to Bloomington, IN by now.
Where I-22 passes by Jasper, it passes within 2 miles of where I grew up. At one time, they actually had it running up the same little valley our house was in. It would have ran about 300 yards from the house I grew up in. They ended up slightly east. The City of Jasper was the last section to be planned, mostly because the crooks in Jasper kept trying to make the land deals to control the money made off of interstate access.
Isn’t there BBQ joint in Jasper called “The Boar’s Butt? I always wanted to stop there when I was going to Barber’s in Leeds. Alas, I never did.
I think that is in Winfield. Or was. It is closed now, according to a google search.
Leo and Suzie’s Green Top BBQ at the Jefferson-Walker county line used to be top flight BBQ.
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