Greenbrier and U.S. 72 engineering contracts prepare for traffic demands near industrial corridor and future Lilly campus
By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville is advancing road planning in its Limestone County growth corridor, with two engineering contracts aimed at improving access around major employers and key intersections.
In an Oct. 8 announcement, the city approved work involving Greenbrier Parkway at Interstate 565 and U.S. 72 West.
SAIN Associates will design northbound access improvements at the Greenbrier interchange, including upgrades near Greenbrier Road about a half-mile north. Traffic analysis, field surveys, and roadway design are scheduled for completion by April 2028.
The corridor serves Mazda Toyota, Polaris and Amazon, along with the future Eli Lilly and Company campus.
Kimley-Horn & Associates will conduct a traffic impact study and plan intersection improvements on U.S. 72 near East Limestone Road and Holladay Boulevard, following Alabama Department of Transportation permitting requirements. The study is expected to finish by July 2027.
Those dates cover engineering and study work, not completed road construction. The announcement did not provide construction schedules or contract amounts.
The Greenbrier work also fits into a broader infrastructure proposal for Huntsville-annexed Limestone County.
In September, the city outlined a proposed tax increment financing district, known as TIF 8, encompassing approximately 9,092 acres north and south of I-565. Its project plan identified up to $230 million for roads, a school, sewer expansion, and other improvements.
The proposal included $8 million for Greenbrier Parkway and Greenbrier Road improvements. That figure reflects the proposed infrastructure allocation, not the cost of the latest engineering contract.
“The western corridor of Huntsville continues to be an area with ample land to create new jobs and induce future private investments,” Mayor Tommy Battle said in the city’s Sept. 10 announcement.
The city explained that tax increment financing uses future growth in property tax revenue to fund infrastructure. Officials said the mechanism does not increase property tax rates or reduce existing revenues going to the city, county or public schools.
For workers and residents traveling these corridors, the engineering contracts mark a planning step toward improved access. Any construction timeline will require further announcements.