Construction begins again on Northern Beltline

The multibillion-dollar Northern Beltline is back under construction after languishing for years from a lack of funding.

The eventual 52 mile interstate will eventually connect I-59 near the Deerfoot Parkway in Trussville to I-65 north of Gardendale, to I-22 up above Adamsville/Graysville, and finally I-59/I-20 near Bessemer. The project has been on Jefferson County's priority list since circa 1979 but only some of the right of way acquisition, land clearing, and road subsurface work has been done to this point.

The first phase of the actual construction is underway, and it will connect U.S. Highway 79 with U.S. Highway 75.

The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) awarded the bid on that in May. Construction is beginning tomorrow, July 1.

Those first two miles are expected to be completed in late 2026. The winning bid for completing that two-mile segments was $64.7 million.

The Alabama Department of Transportation broke ground on the first 1.34-mile segment, near Palmerdale and Pinson, in April 2014.

This phase will involve actually completing the work and opening up the first segment of the Beltway

Local officials say that building the Northern Beltway in northern Jefferson County will spur growth and economic development similar to what I-459 has done for decades along its path in southern Jefferson County.

It will likely be in the late 2030s before the Northern Beltline connects I-65 to I-59. The full Northern Beltway is unlikely to be complete before 2045.

The project is competing for ALDOT funding with other projects around the state including: the bridge to Orange Beach, the Southside Bridge in Etowah County, the West Alabama Highway, road infrastructure improvements in Madison County, six-laning I-65, the prohibitively expensive proposed I-10 bridge, etc.

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