Huntsville/Madison Development News (Decatur, Auburn: townhouses, asbestos, dog park)

[mcalumni01]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

I guess I should clarify my comments about all the money they are spending on malfunction junction in Birmingham. I don't really have an issue with the fact that they are trying to improve it and spending the money because it is a real bottleneck. I go through there from time to time going to the beach. The problem I do have with it though is it is a poor design and they are constantly messing around with it. They are making the situation worse because they never stop working on that mess and there are always lane closures, lane shifts and barrels everywhere along with reduced speeds. Instead of wasting time and money constantly adding to a lane or making an exit lane longer and all the other "bandaids" they should redesign that mess, move some exits and entrances away from each other, take the sharp bends out of the ramps, do it right one time and be done with it. With the money they have spent in the past 30 years they could have already done it the right for half the money and they wouldn't constantly be adding to the problem with construction and lane closures.

Aldot completed the junction rebuilt last august. Don't know when the last time you been through, but there are several new on and off ramps. No more cross over merging to get off and on. 6th ave. N has 2 new off ramps, 17th street downtown has 3 new off ramps exit. Leaving downtown, there are 3 new on ramps to get north or south on I-65 and west on I-20/59. You really won't understand the upgrade just from being on I-65 just passing through. It's going to be 100% better than what was there before.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2...n_junctio.html

[jero23]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

OK, if it's from all directions, then by the same token you can say the Parkway and I-565 is well in excess of 200,000 daily (>130,000 on the Parkway, and 90,000 on 565 at the closest traffic counter and those numbers are from 2016 or 2017). I don't know the last time you've been here, if ever, but come about 4 p.m. and try to exit 565 eastbound to the Parkway southbound. I'll bet it takes longer than getting through "Malfunction Junction" at any hour, assuming no accidents. Not only that, you have entitled idiots who don't want to take their place in line, so will go past everybody in the right hand lane and try to squeeze in, meaning they're stopping in a drive lane of 65 mph traffic. It's a small interchange with quite high traffic volumes.

I-565 and US 231/Memorial Parkway is a significant interchange. However, the junction of I-65 and I-59/20 is a 300K+ daily traveled interchange the majority of the state's freight trucking traffic and commerce passes through. It's one of those situations where I understand what you are saying and upgrades are needed throughout Huntsville, but they are not as comparable as you think. ALDOT should be focusing on the northern half of the state because it's essentially the only region that is growing in several areas. Whereas, Auburn-Opelika is the only thing is truly growing (economically and population-wise) in the southern half of the state.

[AU HSV]

Originally Posted by jero23

I-565 and US 231/Memorial Parkway is a significant interchange. However, the junction of I-65 and I-59/20 is a 300K+ daily traveled interchange the majority of the state's freight trucking traffic and commerce passes through. It's one of those situations where I understand what you are saying and upgrades are needed throughout Huntsville, but they are not as comparable as you think. ALDOT should be focusing on the northern half of the state because it's essentially the only region that is growing in several areas. Whereas, Auburn-Opelika is the only thing is truly growing (economically and population-wise) in the southern half of the state.

agreed there is no comparison to the I-59/I-65 mess which will be wonderful when complete.
The majority of attention should tilt to North Alabama and Mobile now that the biggest need is being addressed in Birmingham. If anything one would think there would be more funds available now that the biggest highway project ever in the state is being taken care of.

[dijkstra]

Originally Posted by mcalumni01

Aldot completed the junction rebuilt last august. Don't know when the last time you been through, but there are several new on and off ramps. No more cross over merging to get off and on. 6th ave. N has 2 new off ramps, 17th street downtown has 3 new off ramps exit. Leaving downtown, there are 3 new on ramps to get north or south on I-65 and west on I-20/59. You really won't understand the upgrade just from being on I-65 just passing through. It's going to be 100% better than what was there before.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2...n_junctio.html

I just went through there two weeks ago going to the A-day game. Lanes were closed on I65 and people were swapping lanes and nearly stopping on the interstate because of all the confusion. Didn't seem finished or any better to me on that day. lol

I don't doubt that it will be better than before but it was better than before the last two or three times they have worked on it for the year or two in between projects and you could actually drive through there without lanes being closed. My point is they keep "making it better" instead of doing it right and being done with it. It is still a confusing mess to people not familiar with it and it isn't great for people that are familiar.

[mcalumni01]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

I just went through there two weeks ago going to the A-day game. Lanes were closed on I65 and people were swapping lanes and nearly stopping on the interstate because of all the confusion. Didn't seem finished or any better to me on that day. lol

I don't doubt that it will be better than before but it was better than before the last two or three times they have worked on it for the year or two in between projects and you could actually drive through there without lanes being closed. My point is they keep "making it better" instead of doing it right and being done with it. It is still a confusing mess to people not familiar with it and it isn't great for people that are familiar.

It's better. Can't speak for everybody, but it's not confusing at all to me. The junction is completely rebuilt and done. You can go south, west and north through. Just can't go east because, hey, no bridges aren't there anymore. The only thing left is the paving of the interstate they have to do. Most people in bham are use to the bridges at the junction now because they have be complete since last august.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by jero23

I-565 and US 231/Memorial Parkway is a significant interchange. However, the junction of I-65 and I-59/20 is a 300K+ daily traveled interchange the majority of the state's freight trucking traffic and commerce passes through. It's one of those situations where I understand what you are saying and upgrades are needed throughout Huntsville, but they are not as comparable as you think. ALDOT should be focusing on the northern half of the state because it's essentially the only region that is growing in several areas. Whereas, Auburn-Opelika is the only thing is truly growing (economically and population-wise) in the southern half of the state.

Don't know about economically, but Baldwin County is growing in population. It may be mostly retirees moving there, but there must be others too.

One think I find weird is that Madison and Limestone Counties are growing steadily, but neighboring Morgan County keeps slowly losing population (if the Census Bureau estimates are to be believed). I suspect that many Mazda/Toyota workers will be moving to Morgan County, perhaps the Priceville area, because it's really closer than the main part of Huntsville, and is less expensive than Madison County in general.

The planned widening of 565 may well benefit Decatur and Morgan County, and Limestone County with the Browns Ferry Rd interchange work, more than it does Huntsville. If it helps the general area, that's fine.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by mcalumni01

It's better. Can't speak for everybody, but it's not confusing at all to me. The junction is completely rebuilt and done. You can go south, west and north through. Just can't go east because, hey, no bridges aren't there anymore. The only thing left is the paving of the interstate they have to do. Most people in bham are use to the bridges at the junction now because they have be complete since last august.

The last time I went through there was on the way to Panama City a few days before Christmas, and breezed right through. Coming back the day after Christmas with lots of thru traffic, there was a baffling traffic jam 50 or so miles south of B'ham (no obvious reason), breezed through B'ham once again, and came to a stop maybe 30 miles north of B'ham. That one was also inexplicable (no accidents), and it was before the highway narrows to 2 lanes.

There's nothing confusing about the interechange though ... just know where you're going and follow the signs.

Do you mean paving of I-65 south of 20/59? If so, that's long overdue. I would have thought that's the first thing that would be done, or at least repair some of the bumpiness (I think it's mostly the original concrete from way back when).

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by AU HSV

agreed there is no comparison to the I-59/I-65 mess which will be wonderful when complete.
The majority of attention should tilt to North Alabama and Mobile now that the biggest need is being addressed in Birmingham. If anything one would think there would be more funds available now that the biggest highway project ever in the state is being taken care of.

One would think that, but the shifting trend is not shown in the ALDOT 5-year plans. There has been talk of a new I-10 bridge at Mobile ($750M or so) but that may be well in the future.

[RocketDawg]

AU HSV probably knows the answer to this: When the fire station and central police station building on Church St (across from the Art Museum) was demolished, it was my understanding that a parking garage would be built on the site. Now, it looks like they've just laid sod on the lot and presumably nothing will be built. Is a garage still planned, or was it never planned at all?

[AU HSV]

It is not planned for that site
A commercial retail mid rise is envisioned for that spot.
The muncipal garage and current city hall will be demolished a new city hall
And new parking deck constructed on those sites.
That is the current idea rendering were posted here maybe a year or so ago.