Updated timeline: I-565 overhead message board schedule changes
Motorists will soon benefit from travel information displayed on overhead message boards on I-565 in Limestone and Madison counties.
A contractor will install the dynamic message signs (DMS) at three locations as part of the ongoing $5.2 million advanced corridor management project. The project, which began in summer 2023, includes various technological upgrades on I-565.
Expect overnight delays next week
The contractor, Stansell Electric, plans to install overhead sign structures and DMS at two of the three sites next week.
On Tuesday night, Stansell will install a DMS over the westbound roadway between County Line Road and Greenbrier Road. On Wednesday night, they will install another DMS over the eastbound roadway between Jordan Lane and Memorial Parkway.
Expect significant traffic impacts from 8 p.m. to about 2 a.m. both nights. The contractor will close all lanes on one direction of the roadway, including nearby on-ramps, while crews lift structures and secure them to upright supports. Once the overhead structure is in place, Stansell will lift and install the message board and run wiring.
The contractor anticipates halting traffic for 20 minutes at a time. State troopers and Huntsville police will assist with traffic control and ramp closures.
DMS and other project features
A third DMS, on I-565 westbound approaching Jordan Lane, will be installed at a later date.
The project also includes installation of fiber optic cable and an additional 10 traffic cameras and two weather stations for monitoring conditions and aiding traffic flow on the corridor. Once installed and operational, the cameras will undergo testing. After the testing period is complete, livestreams will become viewable at algotraffic.com or on the ALGO Traffic app.
ALDOT North Region Traffic Systems Management and Operations Coordinator Phillip Day said it appears the new cameras and DMS boards will be active by the end of the year.
“These message boards will provide real-time travel information to assist motorists, informing them of crashes, construction delays, and alternate routes,” Day said.
