When the ramp from US-11 onto I-459 North reopened in September, did the interstate work around Tutwiler Farm end? Not quite. ALDOT's $70 million project has moved past the big closures and into finishing work. One of the last items on its list is the stretch of I-459 that starts just south of US-11, right at the neighborhood's interchange.
That matters for anyone who heads out to US-11 every morning. The closure that hit this end of Trussville hardest is over. The resurfacing of the interchange the neighborhood uses most is still ahead.
The ramp closure lasted most of 2026
The US-11 ramp onto northbound I-459 closed in January. According to ALDOT's September 9 update, it stayed closed so the contractor could safely build a new bridge over Edwards Lake Road. It reopened after Labor Day, on the same day ALDOT opened the widened northbound lanes of I-59.
January to September came to roughly eight months of detours. That landed on drivers leaving Tutwiler Farm, which sits along US-11, the road the Trussville Tribune has long used to point people toward the subdivision. During those months, getting to I-459 North meant taking another route every single day.
The September reopening was the last of several milestones on the project:
- November 2025: Widened southbound I-59 lanes opened to traffic.
- January 2026: The US-11 ramp to I-459 North closed for the Edwards Lake Road bridge work.
- Earlier in 2026: The contractor rebuilt the I-59 northbound ramps at Exit 141, Chalkville Mountain Road, and finished within a 40-day incentive window.
- September 9, 2026: A third northbound lane opened on I-59 between I-459 and Chalkville Mountain Road, and the US-11 ramp to I-459 North reopened.
The new northbound lane carries a lot of traffic. ALDOT puts daily volume on that 3.5-mile section of I-59 at nearly 63,000 vehicles, and the agency expects the extra lane to reduce congestion there.
The project's footprint starts just south of US-11
ALDOT's project page lists a scope that reaches beyond I-59 itself. It covers I-59 from the I-459 interchange to the Chalkville Mountain Road overpass, plus I-459 from 0.340 mile south of the US-11 interchange up to I-59. In total that's 3.822 miles of grading, drainage, pavement, bridge deck replacement, lighting and signs.
The southern end of the project sits about a third of a mile below Tutwiler Farm's interchange. ALDOT lists a projected start of spring 2025 and a cost of $70,377,212.87, and its official status is still active.
What's done and what's left
ALDOT's September update listed the remaining work. Here it is next to what has already opened:
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Southbound I-59 widened lanes | Open since November 2025 |
| Exit 141 northbound ramps at Chalkville Mountain Road | Open |
| Northbound I-59 third lane, I-459 to Chalkville Mountain Road | Open since September 9, 2026 |
| US-11 ramp to I-459 North | Reopened September 9, 2026 |
| Paving and final grading on northbound I-59 | Final paving scheduled through November 6 |
| Final asphalt layer on southbound I-59 | Remaining |
| Overhead sign installation | Remaining |
| Resurfacing I-459 from just south of US-11 to I-59 | Remaining |
Three of the four remaining items are finishing work on lanes that are already open: signs, a final asphalt layer and resurfacing. The fourth, resurfacing I-459, runs from just south of US-11 up to I-59, so it covers the exact stretch Tutwiler Farm drivers use to get onto the interstate. ALDOT gives one completion target for the whole project, Spring 2027, and no separate dates for each item.
The early November paving was a preview
The most recent schedule shows what finishing work looks like day to day. ABC 33/40 reported on October 30 that crews would continue final paving on northbound I-59 that Saturday and through the week of November 2. Work ran from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. between I-459 at Exit 137 and Chalkville Mountain Road at Exit 141.
During those hours, I-59 could drop to one lane. Northbound I-459 was cut to two lanes approaching the I-59 interchange, which is the same stretch that is still waiting on resurfacing. All lanes were expected to reopen by 4 p.m. each day, and the asphalt work was set to finish by November 6, weather permitting.
So expect daytime lane reductions that clear by the afternoon, not months-long ramp closures. ALDOT sends drivers to algotraffic.com and the ALGO Traffic app for current lane information, and it's the place to check before an early drive while the remaining work is underway.
Edwards Lake Road has its own paving crew
Edwards Lake Road is the road under the new interstate bridge, and this fall it got separate work. Jefferson County moved its resurfacing of Edwards Lake Road, from Springville Road to US-11, up to Monday, October 12, the Trussville Tribune reported. An earlier county notice had put it at the end of October or early November.
This is the county's 2026 contract resurfacing project, not ALDOT's. It covers about 2.6 miles. Working with the City of Birmingham, the county said it will remove the existing center lane and add 6-foot-wide shoulders at strategic locations, along with new pavement and striping. The county told drivers to expect intermittent lane closures, delays and temporary changes to traffic patterns.
That means two separate road jobs, run by two different agencies, have been working within about a mile of the same interchange this fall.
The errands on the other side of the work zone
With the US-11 ramp open again, places on each side of the interchange are easier to reach. Several of them have changed since the closure started. Cahaba Sun's business roundups cover the changes closest to Tutwiler Farm:
- Simply Stuffed opened at 5030 Pinnacle Square, Suite 108, in The Pinnacle. Customers build personalized stuffed animals, and the shop hosts birthday parties. Hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and it is closed Sundays.
- Einstein Bros. Bagels opened at 1430 Gadsden Highway, Suite 100, in the former Starbucks space next to Pastry Art Bake Shoppe.
- JPMorganChase opened a branch at 1941 Gadsden Highway. It is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Ruscelli's Italian Restaurant opened in August at 1423 Gadsden Highway, Suite 131, inside Marty's Trussville, according to Cahaba Sun's October roundup.
- Culver's started construction at 5905 Trussville Crossings Boulevard, the former BancorpSouth building, as of the September roundup.
- Planet Fitness pulled permits and began work at 5903 Trussville Crossings Parkway, Cahaba Sun reported.
- Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers received concept-plan approval for 1672 Gadsden Highway, the former Pet Supplies Plus, according to Cahaba Sun's June update.
- Kirkland's at 5474 Patrick Way closed in September.
Most of the openings are on Gadsden Highway and at The Pinnacle, close to the interchange. For trips that use the interstate, the lane counts between US-11 and I-59 will keep changing until ALDOT finishes the I-459 resurfacing, one of the items still listed ahead of the Spring 2027 target.
The I-459 resurfacing puts some of the project's remaining work at the interchange closest to Tutwiler Farm. If you're thinking about what a finished US-11 corridor could mean for your own home, Billy Brodie can pull recent Tutwiler Farm sales and show you where your home stands. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
