Interstate 22 Interchange Opens Completing Link to Memphis
State leaders, along with officials from Washington D.C. and around Jefferson County, cut the ribbon Monday on the interchange between Interstate 22 and Interstate 65, completing a long-awaited highway between Birmingham and Memphis.
“The potential market has now expanded and vast new opportunities are now before us,” says Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens.
Proposals for a limited-access highway between those two cities go back to the 1930s and was known as Corridor X. Construction on the Alabama portion of I-22 began in 1984. It cost more than a billion dollars with the final interchange costing $158 million. Economic development officials say the completed interstate will be a key tool to recruit and grow businesses.
“I know it’s been a long time in the making,” says Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt. “I think you’re going to see the dividends for jobs in northwest Alabama.”
Lessie Dingler,WBHM
Governor Robert Bentley is surrounded by political and economic development leaders as he cuts the ribbon on the interchange between Interstate 22 and Interstate 65.
The finished highway is also a welcomed change for residents.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever been so excited about the opening of a road,” says Ellen Brake, who lives with her husband Benny near the highway northwest of Birmingham. They say it’ll make for easier travel to the city for the doctor or other appointments.
“It makes the area we live in less isolated,” says Benny Brake.
The interchange was originally supposed to open in October 2014. Contractor Archer Western was fined $2,000 a day for the delay.
With reporting from WBHM intern La’Nissi Brown
9 movie scenes I couldn’t stop thinking about in 2024
From a heart-wrenching epiphany in the drama Tuesday to a meme-able moment in Challengers, these were the lines that critic Aisha Harris has remembered all year.
For young adults, caregiving isn’t just hard. It can shape you for life
Caregiving responsibilities can cut young people off from peers and interrupt their emerging life story. And there's been little research or support directed at this group. That's starting to change.
‘We are not California’: New Jersey dealers push back on electric truck rules
Vehicle dealers are pushing back on rules that would increase the number of electric trucks sold in New Jersey. It could be a preview of a brewing fight over state rules about cars.
The fun — and confusion — of celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah on the same date
Christmas and Hanukkah rarely fall on the same date, but this year they do. One mixed-faith family in Oakland, Calif., doubles down for double whammy holiday.
What the Israel-Hezbollah war did to Lebanon’s cultural heritage sites
Part of a Crusader castle crumbled. An 18th century minaret felled. Church mosaics burned. Archaeologists are assessing damage to UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Syria.
Why Trump’s tariffs on Mexico would mean higher avocado prices at the grocery store
Most avocados consumed in the U.S. are grown in Mexico. Here's what Trump's proposed tariffs would mean for prices at the grocery store and for the avocado industry.
