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Just five days after the cities of Madison and Huntsville announced joint plans to improve Zierdt Road, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley announced Monday a plan to widen Old Madison Pike.
The $5.3 million project, scheduled to being by year’s end, is designed to widen the road to four lanes from Thornton Research Park to a new bridge that will be constructed over Indian Creek. From the bridge to Slaughter Road, the road will be widened to five lanes.
“Huntsville and Madison residents have waiting for more than 10 years for this road project,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “This team … along with our partners at the state has worked to make it happen.”
More than 25,000 vehicles travel Old Madison Pike each day, well exceeding its two and three lane capacity.
“This road is a critical corridor between Cummings Research Park, Bridge Street and Madison,” said Madison Mayor Paul Finley. “We know the construction period will be inconvenient for travelers, but the payoff will be worth the wait.”
Shane Davis, Huntsville’s director of Urban Development, said the Old Madison Pike project has been a priority for both Huntsville and Madison.
“We have tackled the design challenges, figured out how to pay for work, and we are anxious to begin,” Davis said. “These improvements will provide much needed relief to motorists who travel daily to Research Park and Redstone Arsenal.”
The project is being funded through $2 million from the state, $3.2 million in federal funds from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and $800,000 from the City of Huntsville.
Davis says the Huntsville is finalizing the right-of-way acquisitions and he expects construction to begin in late 2012. The project should take about one year to complete, and bridgework will require sections of Old Madison Pike to close for about nine months.
Detours and alternate routes will be well publicized during that time.
Local News
Huntsville and Madison to widen Old Madison Pike
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