Lt. governor addresses Alabama’s interstate issues

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Alabama’s roadways are busier than ever with holiday travel that includes Iron Bowl weekend. But this is a year-round issue that Alabama Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth says he’s prioritizing during the next legislative session.

Freeways turning into parking lots is the reality for drivers on Interstate 65, connecting Huntsville to Mobile.

“You know, no matter who I talked to, and where they’re from, you know, you’ve been stuck there,” said Ainsworth.

In central Alabama, cars are often backed up on Interstate 85 starting in Montgomery, heading toward Atlanta.

“Had extreme incidents between the Lee County and Montgomery County line, it’s a span a corridor of the interstate that has a lot of lonely territories,” said Macon County EMA director, Frank Lee.

Lee says in that area there are three to five accidents a week that involve commercial vehicles.

“I don’t have any data, any scientific reason to give you, I can tell you that a lot of times people are on their cell phones,” he said.

Ainsworth says the state could see a solution for one of these roads during the upcoming legislative session.

“One of the infrastructure projects, that’s a priority to me that I think we’ve got to tackle is three-laneing I-65 from the state line, all the way to Mobile,” said Ainsworth.

But until then, ALEA Sergeant Jeremy Burkett says it’s on drivers as well to keep the roadways safe and clear.

“One of the things that we’re really pushing the issue because we’ve seen the issue with it statewide is distracted driving,” he said. “And we continue to reinforce that we’re asking everyone to put their cell phones down, no eating or drinking in the car.

WSFA 12 News reached out to the Alabama Department of Transportation to talk about specific solutions to widen the interstates but have not heard back.

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