Drivers in Irvington faced a two-day detour this week as film crews took over a stretch of County Road 39 near U.S. Highway 90. The closure, running from the south side of the highway to Half Mile Road, was scheduled for daylight hours on Monday and Tuesday to accommodate on-location shooting. Detour signs were posted along the route to guide motorists around the affected block, part of a limited-run production filming scenes in the Irvington area.
Downtown Mobile motorists dealt with a separate set of headaches tied to an ongoing underground pipe replacement project. Crews finished assembling a bypass pipe running parallel to a decades-old line that has needed reinforcement, and work crews were set to begin lining the aging pipe starting at a manhole near Bienville Square. The contractor planned to move equipment on-site and work around the clock for about a week to complete the job, so drivers were urged to watch for flaggers directing traffic through the area.
Nearby, work on the historic Van Antwerp Building along Royal Street between Dauphin and Conti streets has periodically slowed traffic even though the road itself remains open. Motorists passing through the block were advised to proceed with caution as construction activity continues.
Elsewhere in Mobile County, the roundabout project at the intersection of Three Notch Road, Dawes Lane and the Dawes Lane Extension remained closed, with completion expected around the third week of November. Satchel Paige Drive between Government Street and Bolling Brothers Boulevard also stayed shut as crews widen the road to four lanes as part of the broader McGowin Park Shopping Center development, a project expected to take roughly three months. On Airport Boulevard near Alverson Road, inside lanes were closed for work nearing completion.
The Alabama Department of Transportation reported several other active projects across the region. On Interstate 10 in Mobile County, resurfacing and bridge work between Halls Mill Creek and the west end of the George C. Wallace Tunnel continues to bring nighttime lane closures Sunday through Thursday, from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., with completion expected next summer. Along U.S. 90 between Halls Mill and Pine Hill Drive, nighttime lane closures are expected to wrap up by December. The state welcome center at the Alabama-Mississippi line remains closed and is not expected to reopen before spring 2016.
In Baldwin County, the connector linking Interstate 10 to the Baldwin Beach Express near County Road 68 is about 95 percent finished, though drivers may still encounter occasional lane closures on County Road 83 as crews finish remaining work. Construction on the Little Lagoon Pass bridge is roughly halfway complete, with a detour bridge in place alongside the original structure keeping delays to a minimum for now.
Motorists across Mobile and Baldwin counties are encouraged to plan extra travel time through the affected corridors and to watch for posted detours and flaggers as the various projects move toward completion.