Trussville commuters frustrated by long delays from I-59 construction
Interstate construction is entering a new phase in Trussville. But Tuesday morning's commute was an even bigger headache than usual. ALDOT crews are working to add lanes to I-59 between Chalkville Road and I-459. Commuters said on Tuesday morning that traffic issues were worse than they've ever seen, with some spending hours trying to get to work.
Dashcam video from a motorist during his morning commute from Trussville to Homewood shows the delays. Even in high speed, you can see how slow traffic was moving on secondary roads and I-59. It took this driver an hour and ten minutes to get to work, twice as long as last week.
Trussville resident Julie Lancaster said they've been dealing with road route roulette for months, but this morning was the worst yet.
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鈥淲e have a new daily morning game of trying to figure out how we're going to get to work. It's been a pain to sum it up," Lancaster said. "I mean, it's tricky because there's ten different routes, and they're all going to be backed up.鈥�
Trussville resident Candis Austin said it wasn't even rush hour when she got caught up in it. She said, 鈥淓ven at 9:00, that was not normal. Normally, it's a clear path, but it was backed up also. Semi-trucks all the way back up to Deerfoot. Like it was going on to Argo, so it was, like it was, gridlock on the freeway.鈥�
The work to widen a section of I-59 from four to six lanes will take another 18 months, but ALDOT officials said it'll improve traffic flow in this area. Lancaster added, 鈥淭hat's what they say. I'll believe it when I see it at this point. I mean, it's part of the growing pains. But we're ready to get to work at a decent time.鈥�
In the meantime, Austin had some advice to help motorists keep their cool till late 2026. She said, 鈥淲ake up early. Okay. And prepare yourself. Find your best and favorite music and tune in and pray that we have better days.鈥�
ALDOT Spokesperson Linda Crockett said an equipment malfunction was the cause of the massive delay Tuesday morning.