The Alabama Welcome Center on I-59 near the Georgia line has been closed since the start of summer. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) now expects it to reopen in mid-October. The reopening depends on crews finishing the first phase of the southbound I-59 rebuild between the state line and Fort Payne. That phase, still underway, covers one mile of the outside lane. The rest of the project covers about 16 miles and runs into 2029, and most of the big traffic changes come after this fall.
ALDOT's own updates lay out the order of the work. Taken together with the Highway 35 project at Exit 218, they give a fairly clear picture of what driving in and out of Fort Payne will look like over the next few years.
Mid-October: one lane finishes, another starts
ALDOT's project page lists the job as I-59 southbound reconstruction and rehabilitation from the Georgia state line to about a mile north of the US-11 overpass in Fort Payne. The cost is $47,544,196, with a projected start in Spring 2026 and completion in Winter/Spring 2029. The contractor is Wiregrass Construction. ALDOT's May 21 announcement says about 10 miles will be demolished and replaced, and another six will be rehabilitated.
That release set the order for the opening phase:
- Mill and pave the inside southbound lane and shoulder near the state line, with single-lane closures, starting May 26, weather permitting.
- Close and rebuild the outside lane, with the welcome center closed for 90 days starting June 1.
- Shift traffic onto the rebuilt outside lane, reopen the welcome center, and rebuild the inside lane.
The second step ran long. Ninety days from June 1 would have put the reopening around the end of August. ALDOT's September 25 update says Wiregrass is still rebuilding a single mile of the outside lane near the state line and the welcome center. After that work is finished, which ALDOT expects in mid-October, the contractor will reopen the outside lane, start on the inside lane, and reopen the welcome center.
"Anticipated" is ALDOT's word for the mid-October date, and this phase has already gone past its first estimate. A rest stop that may not reopen for a few weeks is a minor inconvenience. What matters more is what reopening the outside lane allows the contractor to do next.
The new northbound lanes are part of the plan for southbound traffic
The same September 25 update reported that the rebuilt I-59 northbound section between Hammondville and Sulphur Springs, milepost 233 to 237, has opened. It is still an active work zone. Crews are running single-lane closures to remove crossovers and move barriers in preparation for a future southbound diversion.
That diversion is the next big change. For the later phases, ALDOT plans two southbound closures of roughly five miles each. During those closures, all traffic moves onto the northbound roadway, with barriers separating the two directions. The September update puts it more briefly: later phases will rebuild several miles of the entire roadway at a time.
So the barrier work on the new northbound pavement is prep for the next phase. The southbound lanes will be closed in long stretches, and both directions of interstate traffic will share the northbound side. Anyone driving toward Chattanooga or coming home from that direction should expect this setup at different points between now and 2029. ALDOT has not yet published dates for either five-mile closure.
The scale of this one contract is easier to see against the whole corridor. ALDOT reports that since 2020 it has awarded $239.2 million across six contracts to rebuild and rehabilitate I-59 in DeKalb and Etowah counties. As of September 2026, those projects have put 39 miles of rebuilt roadway into service, with another 21 miles under construction or under contract. ALDOT says the original concrete roadway had deteriorated enough that parts of I-59 in Northeast Alabama needed to be completely rebuilt. The southbound job between the state line and Fort Payne makes up a large share of the work still to come.
Exit 218 is the other work zone, and it runs at night
Closer to town, the second project is on Highway 35 at Exit 218. ALDOT announced the start on July 13. Wiregrass Construction is the prime contractor here too, and Shoals Electric is handling the traffic signals. The project runs about 1.7 miles on SR-35, from Dewyer Avenue to Prestwood Drive. It covers:
- New signals at the Jordan Road and Airport Road intersection
- Signal upgrades at the I-59 ramps at Exit 218 and at Briarwood Avenue
- Two auxiliary lanes
- A dedicated right-turn lane from Highway 35 northbound onto I-59 northbound
The Times-Journal described the auxiliary lanes in more detail. One runs on Highway 35 northbound between the I-59 southbound ramps and Medical Center Drive. The other runs on Highway 35 southbound, west of Jordan Road toward the I-59 southbound ramps. Mayor Brian Baine told the paper, "We're excited this is happening. This has been badly needed for quite some time."
The schedule is set up to stay out of daytime traffic. Lane closures are limited to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday night through Thursday night. ALDOT said daytime drilling for signal-pole foundations was not expected to interrupt traffic. Friday and Saturday nights are not in the closure window.
Here are the two projects side by side, using ALDOT's published figures:
| I-59 southbound, Georgia line to Fort Payne | SR-35 at Exit 218 | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract cost | $47,544,196 | $4,997,900 |
| Contractor | Wiregrass Construction | Wiregrass Construction, with Shoals Electric on signals |
| Length | About 16 miles | About 1.7 miles |
| How traffic is handled | Single-lane closures now; later, two-way traffic on the northbound roadway, separated by barriers | Lane closures 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Thursday |
| Projected completion | Winter/Spring 2029 | Summer 2027 |
If the dates hold, the Exit 218 project will finish about two years before the interstate work. ALDOT's project page lists it as active with a projected completion of Summer 2027. The July start announcement is still ALDOT's latest public progress report on it. ALDOT has not announced a date for turning on the new signals, so drivers should expect the old setup through this fall.
What is still in planning on Highway 35
The Highway 35 corridor has more coming, though not all of it is construction yet.
At the Fort Payne City Council meeting in early August, the mayor gave updates on two items. He said ALDOT was installing lights on Highway 35. He also said a truck-arrester-bed project was still on the state's schedule and could start in November or December, depending on right-of-way acquisition. A summary of that council meeting has the details. The truck-arrester-bed start date is the mayor's estimate as of August, not a posted ALDOT notice. It depends on right-of-way acquisition.
Further out, ALDOT is running a planning and environmental linkage study, or PEL study, on SR-35 in Fort Payne. ALDOT started it after the city received a federal grant. In May the agency held an open house at Wills Valley Recreation Center on Godfrey Avenue NE and posted preliminary alternative alignments online. Written comments were due June 12, 2026. A PEL study is a planning step that comes before any design or construction. The ALDOT notice describes the alignments as preliminary alternatives. Nothing on that map has been approved for construction.
How the schedule lines up
Here is the order of events, using ALDOT's dates and the city's updates:
- Mid-October 2026, anticipated: The outside southbound lane near the state line reopens, the Alabama Welcome Center reopens, and work moves to the inside lane.
- November or December 2026, possible: Highway 35 truck-arrester-bed work starts, depending on right-of-way acquisition.
- Summer 2027, projected: The SR-35 work at Exit 218 is complete.
- No dates published yet: The two five-mile southbound closures, with all I-59 traffic on the northbound roadway.
- 2029: ALDOT's projected completion for the southbound I-59 rebuild.
The ALDOT project pages for the I-59 southbound rebuild and the SR-35 improvements are the official places to check for updates. The five-mile closure dates are likely to be announced there first.
At Valley Real Estate Co., we spend a lot of time on these same roads, driving between Fort Payne, Mentone, and the Georgia line. If you're thinking about a move and want to know how these work zones could affect your commute or a showing schedule, we're glad to talk it through with you. Let's Make Your Move.
