3 North Alabama road projects, widening Hwy 72 included, approved by Gov. Kay Ivey

In an election year, voters turn their attention to local issues that need to be fixed by government officials, and perhaps no issue stirs up as much bipartisan interest as road work. Well, Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey approved some significant road projects for North Alabama, much to the delight of Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle.

Ivey made the announcement at Thursday’s 2022 Alabama Update, hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

3 projects on the schedule for the Huntsville area

Ivey pledged 60 percent in state funds for the projects, which are also in Round 2 of the Huntsville-area Restore Our Roads plan. The cities of Huntsville and Madison and the Madison County Commission collaborated to provide the 40 percent local match.

Projects that received state funds include:

• Widening Interstate 565 from County Line Road to Wall Triana Highway – $50M project cost;
• Widening U.S. 72 West from Providence Main to Nance Road – $50M project cost; and
• Widening Alabama 53 from Taurus Drive to Harvest Road.

Other projects on the ROR2 wish list include a proposed redesign of the I-565 / U.S. 231 interchange. Battle said all the projects are critical as a surge of new residents and visitors is putting more vehicles on increasingly crowded roads.

Mayor Battle praises Ivey for her role in the upcoming projects

Battle credits the effort to complete ROR2 to strong working partnerships with the local legislative delegation, including State Reps. Rex Reynolds and Andy Whitt and State Sen. Tom Butler, as well as the Madison County Commission and City of Madison.

“To be a growing, prosperous city you have to have a transportation grid that supports the needs of your workforce. These three major projects are a strong start in accomplishing our ROR2 plan to keep metro Huntsville thriving and provide a high quality of life.”

Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle

Huntsville Director of Urban & Economic Development Shane Davis praised the commitment by elected leaders to work together to advance public infrastructure needs. He said the projects ultimately benefit all Alabamians, regardless of jurisdiction.

“By working together, we are able to sustain the quality of life our citizens expect, manage current growth and remain a strong community for future job growth,” Davis said. “Gov. Ivey understands the infrastructure needs in Alabama. We thank her in supporting the effort of jointly putting our resources together to advance these road projects.”

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