Tennessee River I-65 bridges slated for repairs

Most of the work will be under the bridges but, during the work on the roadway, lane closures will be necessary, according to Seth Burkett, the ALDOT North Region public information officer.

“Any major project on I-65 is going to impact traffic, but we’re working to minimize the potential impact here at the planning stage,” he said. “But at this point, we don’t envision the project requiring lane closures of extremely long duration.

“The majority of the work will take place under the bridges, and we think it may be possible to safely provide access for those work areas while maintaining two lanes of traffic on the bridges at most times during the project.”

Burkett said consultants will assist the department in traffic planning. He also said ALDOT will notify the public of any lane or shoulder closures that might impact traffic.

“Please bear in mind that we are still in the process of designing the project and have not determined exactly what the traffic control plan will entail and what alternate freight routes are available,” he said.

Burkett said the department will let bids late this year and construction may start early next year.

“We are still determining the contract time and considering options such as incentives/disincentives and restricted work hours,” he said.

The 2.6-mile long bridges are about 50 years old and handle more than 50,000 vehicles in both directions daily.

“We’ve performed rehabilitations on other structures such as the O’Neal Bridge in Florence and, more recently, the Capt. John Snodgrass Bridge near Stevenson, as well as others around the state, to maintain these structures and extend their useful lifespans,” Burkett said.