ALDOT Defends Overnight I-65 Lane Closures in Shelby County as Hurricane Isaias Evacuees Headed North

ALABASTER, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Transportation is defending its decision to go ahead with overnight I-65 lane closures in Shelby County on Thursday, Oct. 8, as thousands of people were driving north to escape Hurricane Isaias. Drivers and evacuees flooded social media with complaints, while ALDOT said the work was a time-sensitive concrete pour that could not easily be rescheduled and that traffic recovered quickly.

The closures took one lane in each direction on Interstate 65 between Calera and Alabaster, where crews are widening the interstate. They came the same week Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for 40 counties and ordered all visitors to leave the Baldwin County beaches south of the Intracoastal Waterway and Dauphin Island in Mobile County.

For many of those visitors, I-65 is the main road home. Evacuees leaving Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Mobile who are headed to Birmingham, north Alabama, Tennessee and beyond travel straight through Shelby County, and many people evacuating stop in hotels or with family in the Birmingham area.

What ALDOT closed, and when

On Thursday, ALDOT announced an overnight single-lane closure in both directions on I-65 for its ongoing widening project between Calera and Alabaster. The work zone was at mileposts 236 to 237, just south of Alabaster.

ALDOT spokesperson Jonathan Paepcke said in a statement that the agency faced “a critical decision” Thursday afternoon about whether to let the scheduled closure go forward.

The northbound closure had been announced to begin at 9 p.m. Paepcke said ALDOT pushed the start back nearly two hours while it watched traffic levels, and the lane was closed at 11 p.m.

“Following the closure at 11 p.m., there was an initial delay while traffic adjusted to the new pattern. However, within about an hour, traffic speeds increased to pre-evacuation levels, despite the closure,” Paepcke said.

“Crews completed the essential bridge deck pour and both northbound lanes were reopened to traffic by 6 a.m. Friday morning.”

ALDOT gave drivers U.S. 31 as an alternate route around the work zone. U.S. 31 runs roughly parallel to I-65 through Shelby County and passes through both Calera and Alabaster.

Why ALDOT says the work could not wait

Paepcke said the contractor had spent weeks lining up the many pieces needed for a critical concrete bridge deck pour over railroad tracks.

“This crucial step in the widening project was extremely time sensitive due to requiring coordination with concrete suppliers, the railroad’s flagging crews, and others. Postponing it could possibly delay the project several weeks, if not longer,” he said.

Work over an active rail line requires the railroad to provide flaggers who watch for trains and protect workers, and those crews must be scheduled with the railroad in advance. A bridge deck pour also depends on a steady supply of ready-mix concrete delivered on a tight timeline. Rebooking all of those parties at once is what ALDOT said could push the project back by weeks.

Paepcke said ALDOT knew evacuation traffic was heavy on northbound I-65 and worked closely with the contractor to study how the closure might affect people fleeing the storm. He said the agency also took a step elsewhere on the same project.

“Even though Shelby County was not included in ALDOT’s temporary lane closure restriction announced on Thursday, we prohibited a contractor on a different section of the project from closing a lane further south,” Paepcke said.

“Following much deliberation, we announced the planned single lane closure in both directions for the bridge deck pour and provided travelers with an alternate route on US-31.”

He added: “While the adjustment did cause some delays, traffic speeds recovered in a short period of time.”

“ALDOT truly appreciates the public’s patience during this necessary closure, and we hope everyone continues to stay safe over the weekend,” Paepcke said.

The I-65 widening project

ALDOT began construction on the I-65 widening between Calera and Alabaster in March 2025. The project is expected to be finished in spring 2028.

The stretch of I-65 through Shelby County carries commuter traffic between the fast-growing suburbs south of Birmingham and the city, along with long-distance traffic between Montgomery, Birmingham and points north. During hurricane evacuations from the Alabama coast, it also becomes one of the main routes for northbound traffic.

ALDOT’s lane closure suspension did not include Shelby County

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, ALDOT announced it would suspend temporary lane closures on interstates, U.S. highways and state routes in 10 southern counties from 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, through 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. The counties were:

• Mobile County
• Baldwin County
• Escambia County
• Conecuh County
• Covington County
• Coffee County
• Geneva County
• Dale County
• Houston County
• Henry County

Shelby County, which lies well north of the coast in central Alabama, was not on the list. That gap is what left many drivers frustrated when they learned that lanes would close on I-65 in Shelby County while evacuation traffic was still moving north.

In its announcement, ALDOT also urged caution on the road. “Drivers should postpone unnecessary travel during severe weather and avoid flooded roads,” the agency said. “If travel is necessary, plan ahead, allow extra travel time and stay alert.”

The agency posted severe weather driving tips and advised drivers to check traffic and road conditions, including traffic camera feeds, through its ALGO Traffic app.

Drivers push back online

As word of the closure spread, people posted objections under ALDOT’s social media posts and other posts announcing the lane closure updates. Many said I-65 was already crowded with people leaving the coast.

“I-65 is slammed with Gulf visitors evacuating. Please!!! don’t close the N or S bound lanes on I-65 at Calera/Alabaster until the hurricane,” Amanda K. West commented. “I CANNOT imagine any roadwork that is impertinent at this moment with a hurricane coming and this many citizens on the interstate. The decision to close one lane each direction is absolutely unacceptable and ludicrous!!!”

Mandy Dixon Blasche replied that her husband “left gulf shores at noon and made it to alabaster around 7:30” and still was not home. “So crazy,” she wrote.

Others said Shelby County is a destination for evacuees, not just a pass-through.

“How about don’t close a stretch between Calera and Alabaster during hurricane evacuation? People come north to stay in hotels and with family,” Sunni Speigle commented.

“Can someone explain how closing lanes on the MAIN evacuation route for construction makes any sense at all?! Closing one lane of I-65 north and south is asinine,” Susan Posten commented.

Several commenters asked ALDOT to delay the work.

“Can you please delay the last minute, one lane closure, Calera Alabaster 65 work? People are still evacuating coming North and 65 already has delays,” Jessica Kelican Appletoft said.

• “Suspend all work on I-65 until after the hurricane,” Christy Lynn-Armstrong said.
• “But you’re still closing lanes on 65 in Shelby County? Make it make sense,” Jason Byrd said.
• “Both lanes of I-65 northbound need to stay open, due to a mandatory evacuation of the gulf,” Nelda George said.

Hurricane Isaias strengthens

The National Hurricane Center said Isaias was strengthening Friday morning, Oct. 9, as it neared the northern Gulf Coast. In a special statement earlier Friday, the center said Isaias had become a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph. On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 3 is the lowest level of a major hurricane, with sustained winds of 111 to 129 mph.

Forecasters said in a later update that Isaias should weaken some before landfall, but “it is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane.”

Ivey’s state of emergency covers 40 counties, including Mobile and Baldwin. Her mandatory evacuation order requires all non-residents, tourists and visitors in Baldwin County south of the Intracoastal Waterway, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and on Dauphin Island to leave.

Tips for drivers during the storm

With storm conditions spreading inland over the weekend, transportation and public safety officials offered similar advice for anyone on the road:

• Stay off the road if you can. ALDOT asked drivers to postpone unnecessary travel during severe weather.
• Never drive into floodwater. Water over a road can be deeper than it looks and can hide washed-out pavement.
• Plan ahead. Check road conditions and traffic camera feeds on the ALGO Traffic app before leaving, and allow extra travel time.
• Know your alternate routes. In Shelby County, U.S. 31 parallels I-65 between Calera and Alabaster.
• Stay alert. Watch for downed trees, power lines and debris, and give emergency and utility crews room to work.

ALDOT’s suspension of lane closures in the 10 southern counties runs through 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Drivers returning south after the storm should check the ALGO Traffic app and local emergency management agencies for road conditions and reentry information before heading back to the coast.