The $750 million I-59/I-20 at I-65 Interchange megaproject in the heart of the Birmingham Downtown Central Business District is by far the largest and most ambitious road and bridge project in the state's history. The 59/20 corridor was originally designed to handle 60,000 vehicles per day—that number today is closer to 160,000 and projected to crest to 200,000 in the next decade. The construction phase of the project was broken into four phases, which includes the reconstruction of bridges; widening of multiple bridges on I-65; and reconstructing I-65 and the I-59/I-20 interchange ramps. After the demolition of the old mainline bridges, a pair of new 1.25-mile structures are being put into place. All told, this project bears out 65.5 lane-miles and 31 total bridges. It is projected for completion in November 2020, but the Alabama DOT has incentivized its contractors to wrap up the mainline bridges in January.
