City of Birmingham extending service hours during I-59/20 bridge closure and construction

Now this is a wise move.

Beginning, Monday January 14, the City of Birmingham will be expanding service hours to the public for select departments.

The goal of this move?

To better serve commuters attempting to access City Hall during the impending Alabama Department of Transportation’s closure of the I-59/20 bridge downtown.

Here is the list of city departments extending their hours:

• Department of Finance’s Tax & Licensing and Cash Management divisions
• Department of Planning
• Engineering and Permits’ (PEP) One-Stop Permitting, and Condemnation and Engineering field staff

Effective on January 14 these departments will operate from 7a.m. to 6p.m, Monday through Friday, These expanded hours will offer more opportunities for individuals needing to pay fees, apply for business licenses or other permits. All other city departments and divisions will operate under current office hours.

The intent of this change in service hours is to better serve the public and to reduce the City of Birmingham’s impact on traffic congestion with the expanded hours.

“We encourage all downtown employers to consider innovative ways to help both employees and customers conduct business during the interstate construction project,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “Flexible hours will go a long way in helping our businesses run smoothly as possible during this transition period.”

ALDOT will shut down portions of the I-59/20 bridge completely for 14 months starting in mid- to late January 2019. The project will allow ALDOT to replace the aging bridge structure. For more detailed information on the project, please visit ALDOT’s project website: www.5920bridge.com.