The new interstate exchange in Ft Payne is now officially open – that interchange connects I-59 with 49th Street, on the north side of Ft Payne, just a few hundred yards from where 49th connects to Highway 11. The opening represents the completion of Stage 2 of a three-stage Highway Improvement Project; the first phase involved expanding the number of lanes on Highway 11 in north Ft Payne, from the North Y to Airport Road.

It took just over two years to complete the new interchange – with that portion of the over all project, costing about $20 million. Ft Payne Mayor Bill Jordan, said that Congressman Robert Aderholt, provided the first $4 million appropriation for that project about 10 years ago, but the City has been eyeing the third interchange for much longer; he said the city first passed a resolution in 1988, asking the state to consider its construction.

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