I-459/US 280 improvements scheduled to begin this month

Long-needed improvements will be made soon to the busy interchange at Interstate 459 and U.S. 280.

Currently, the ramp from where I-459 north and south merge onto U.S. 280 forces drivers to weave between each other, but construction is expected to begin by April 1 on a new ramp that will make this unnecessary, according to officials at ALDOT and the city of Birmingham.

“When a vehicle exits I-459 northbound to go to U.S. 280, they will be able to either take a ramp going specifically to the signal where they can turn left toward The Summit or stay on the existing ramp and only be able to go east toward Grandview Hospital,” said Linda Crockett, spokesperson for the ALDOT East Central Region.

The project will cost almost $4.6 million including inspection and testing, according to a city spokesperson. 

The federal government will pay almost $3.9 million of that cost, and the city of Birmingham will contribute a 10 percent match of the total project cost, about $457,000.

About $228,000 will come from ALDOT as a 10 percent match for a portion of the federal dollars.

ALDOT believes the project will make the interchange safer, Crockett said. “We’ve been planning to do this for several months and are glad to see it get underway,” she said.

The impact of construction on drivers should be minimal, as most of the work is adjacent to the roadway, officials said.

Midsouth Paving Inc. will do the work, and their contract runs through spring 2019, officials said.