The Alabama Department of Transportation has authorized $2 million to initiate the engineering design required for Gadsden’s Eastern Connector, the project previously known as the Interstate 759 extension.

The project will begin on SR-759 at the Coosa River Bridge and extend to the intersection of SR-1 (U.S. Highway 431) and SR-74 (U.S. Highway 278). The authorization is dated March 1, 2021.

This is the next step in a long-awaited project that Mayor Sherman Guyton, the City Council and other elected officials have worked toward for more than 15 years.

“I would like to thank Gov. Kay Ivey and ALDOT Director John Cooper for their efforts and investments in moving this most-important project forward,” Guyton said. “It will not only affect Gadsden, but also all of Northeast Alabama.”

For questions about the project, please contact Heath Williamson, Gadsden’s Director of Engineering, at 256-549-4520.