Installation of message boards on I-565 to disrupt traffic this week

Dynamic message signs displaying travel information on overhead message boards on Interstate 565 in Limestone and Madison counties will be installed this week, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation.

A contractor, Stansell Electric, 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, ALDOT said.

Stansell plans to install overhead sign structures and DMS at two of the three sites this 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.

ALDOT said to 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.

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 said it expects the new cameras and DMS boards to be active by the end of the year.