Part of southbound I-59 closes for reconstruction in DeKalb, Etowah counties

COLLINSVILLE — Several miles of the aging concrete I-59 roadway in southern DeKalb County and northern Etowah County are closed for reconstruction.

The five-mile segment of I-59 southbound near the Stephens Gap Road overpass, north of Reece City, will remain closed about a year, ALDOT said.

Following substantial completion of this segment, Vulcan Materials, the contractor on the $40.7 million project, will then reconstruct an additional five miles of the southbound roadway from south of Alabama Highway 68 in Collinsville to the current segment. The deadline for completion of the project is March 12, 2027.

ALDOT advises motorists that southbound traffic shifts to the northbound roadway at milepost 199.5 and then back at milepost 194.5. Concrete barriers separate two-way traffic on the northbound roadway.

Deterioration of the original concrete necessitated total reconstruction of parts of I-59 in northeast Alabama. This project is the first to replace a segment of the southbound roadway. In 2023, contractor Wiregrass Construction completed reconstruction of the corresponding northbound segment at a cost of $44 million.

A reconstructed northbound segment between Fort Payne and Hammondville in DeKalb County opened last month, ALDOT said.

The $40.8 million project with contractor A.G. Peltz Group began in 2023 and demolished and replaced an eight-mile segment from milepost 225, north of U.S. 11, to milepost 233, north of Alabama Highway 117. Motorists are advised to expect intermittent lane closures as the contractor addresses final work items.

Wiregrass continues the $40.9 million reconstruction of eight miles of the northbound roadway from Alabama Highway 117 to the Georgia state line.

Weather permitting, ALDOT anticipates the segment between mileposts 237 and 241 opening in late summer or early fall. The contractor will then shift operations to the segment between mileposts 233 and 237.

In 2022, Wiregrass reconstructed about eight miles of the northbound roadway through Fort Payne at a cost of $25.2 million.

ALDOT plans to address additional segments of I-59 as funds become available. Consultants are already designing the next two projects:

• The southbound roadway, a 16-mile stretch from the state line to north of the U.S. 11 overpass in Fort Payne
• The northbound roadway, from north of Alabama Highway 68 at Collinsville to Exit 218 at Alabama Highway 35 in Fort Payne.