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Fielder’s Choice
By Barry Burleson Linking 22 and 65 Many already call it an interstate. Technically, it’s not. Our four-lane road through Marshall County is still Highway 78. But as the signs along the route signify, it is Future I-22. And
according to reports coming out of Alabama, construction has begun in
Birmingham on the final link that should officially make it an
interstate. The Journal-Record in Hamilton, Ala., reported in its
August 4 edition that construction crews were scheduled to be on site
by August 2 to begin the monumental task of linking Interstates 22 and
65 in Birmingham – and officially linking Alabama’s largest city to
Marshall County’s neighbor, Memphis, Tenn. It’s the final section of a road that has required more than 30 years to complete. The
projected completion date is four years away – October 2014. Highway
officials in Alabama have publicly expressed optimism the project could
be finished as much as one year ahead of schedule, according to the
story written by Tracy Estes. But it won’t be easy. The
link in Birmingham between these two interstates will involve some 14
ramps and 14 bridges over the span of only 1.5 miles. The $168.6
million project will result in a four-level interchange, which will
reach 85 feet in height. Construction crews will also tunnel a
passage under the existing I-65 route to what is now being referred to
as I-22 to pass beneath the existing interstate. The massive
interchange will be built, according to the Journal-Record news story,
just north of what is known as “Malfunction Junction” in Birmingham –
the convergence of Interstate 65 and Interstates 20 and 59. Another project will be built simultaneously to link the Interstate 22 corridor with U.S. Highway 31 just to the east of I-65. Included
in the interchange project, deemed the most costly project in Alabama
history, will be the addition of lanes along I-65 to accommodate the
increased traffic flow. Currently, there are three north and southbound
lanes in the area for a total of six lanes. This amount will be
increased by one in each direction with a new total of eight lanes. The
interchange has been designed to allow traffic to exit or enter either
I-65 or I-22 without slowing down, in hopes of limiting the number of
traffic accidents. Work on the interchange will be performed in three or four different stages to prevent traffic congestion. We
went through Birmingham a few weeks back en route to Atlanta. The trip
is much easier, even now, thanks to new four-lane, Highway 78 (Future
I-22) taking you almost to Birmingham. The Journal-Record calls
the scheduled completion of I-22 “an economic dream” come true. Marion
County, Ala., like Marshall County, Miss., and every other community
along I-22, are looking to take advantage of the route and attract new
industry. Particularly, right now, they’re going after spin-off
industries that might supply parts to Toyota in Blue Springs, scheduled
to open next year. Interstate 22 is another feather in our
county’s cap. And you can throw in Chickasaw Trail, Future I-269 and
other big projects. All combined, the future looks bright for economic
growth right here at home.
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