I-59 road conditions today

Hurricane contraflow, only when the governors agree

Slidell, LA to just south of Hattiesburg, MS

MDOT's 2026 Hurricane Evacuation Guide plans contraflow on I-59 only when the Governor of Louisiana requests it and the Governor of Mississippi approves it. The guide notes that a Category III, IV or V hurricane in the Gulf might prompt a mandatory evacuation of greater New Orleans. MDOT says the decision is not automatic and contraflow will be used only when absolutely necessary. When it runs, all lanes flow northbound from Louisiana to just south of Hattiesburg, every exit in that section stays open as traffic allows, and the shoulders should be kept clear for emergency vehicles. Westbound I-10 traffic from Hancock County, Mississippi, is routed north onto I-59 at the I-10/I-12 split in Slidell. With or without contraflow, MDOT may restrict or close entrances and exits on US 49 North, I-59 and US 98 West in Hattiesburg. An older MDOT guide says northbound I-59 traffic may then exit only at US 11 (exit 60) or west on Hardy Street and US 98 (exit 65). While contraflow runs there is no southbound I-59 in that section, so route southbound loads for the New Orleans area another way, and do not stop on the shoulder.

I-65 at exit 124 and the I-20 split at exit 130

Birmingham to Trussville, AL (exits 124 to 141)

I-20 and I-59 share pavement through downtown Birmingham, and ALDOT reports incidents there as I-20/59, for example at mileposts 122 and 129 (ALGO Traffic). At exit 124, 124A leads to I-65 South and 124B to I-65 North; I-65 numbers the same interchange as its exit 261. At exit 130, east of downtown, I-20 leaves to the east and I-59 continues alone toward Trussville and Gadsden. In September 2026 ALDOT opened a third northbound lane on the 3.5 miles between I-459 and exit 141 (Chalkville Mountain Road) in Trussville, a section nearly 63,000 vehicles use each day. ALDOT posts incidents and message-sign text on ALGO Traffic, so check it before you reach Bessemer northbound or Trussville southbound.

Southbound traffic on the northbound roadway for about a year

Reece City to Collinsville, AL (exits 188 to 205; southbound closed from just south of exit 205 to milepost 199.5)

Since August 21, 2026, ALDOT has closed southbound I-59 from just south of exit 205 (SR 68, Collinsville) to milepost 199.5 for reconstruction by Vulcan Materials. Southbound traffic runs on the northbound roadway, with the two directions separated by concrete barriers, and ALDOT expects the shift to last about a year. ALDOT has also closed I-59 here for repairs on short notice. On December 19, 2025, it closed about 17 miles in both directions between Reece City (exit 188) and Collinsville (exit 205) for work on the northbound roadway, two days after announcing it. On May 13, 2026, it closed about 17 miles of southbound I-59 for several hours of crossover repairs, announced the day before. Check ALDOT News and ALGO Traffic before a run between Gadsden and Fort Payne.

Southbound rebuild until 2029 and a closed welcome center

Fort Payne to the Georgia line, AL (mileposts 218 to 241.7)

ALDOT is reconstructing and rehabilitating 16 miles of southbound I-59 from the Georgia line to about a mile north of the US 11 overpass in Fort Payne: about 10 miles torn out and replaced and 6 miles rehabilitated. The $47.5 million project, by Wiregrass Construction, is due to finish in February 2029. In two later phases, ALDOT will close about five miles of the southbound roadway at a time and move all traffic onto the northbound roadway, with the two directions separated by barriers. The Alabama Welcome Center on southbound I-59 at milepost 240.8, with 13 truck spaces, was scheduled to close for 90 days from June 1, 2026, and ALGO Traffic still listed it as closed on October 26, 2026. Northbound, the rebuilt section from milepost 233 to 237, between Hammondville and Sulphur Springs, reopened on September 25, 2026 after about 10 months with traffic diverted. In Fort Payne, ALDOT opened bids on June 27, 2025 for a project to improve operations on SR 35 near I-59, including the exit 218 ramps. ALDOT said on September 25, 2026 that the welcome center would reopen once the outside lane work next to it finished, which it expected in mid-October, so check ALGO Traffic before planning a break there. If it is still closed, southbound the next Alabama rest area with truck spaces on ALGO's list is the St. Clair County rest area at milepost 167.7.

Night tornadoes and refreezing ice

Hattiesburg, MS and central Alabama

On January 21, 2017, NWS Jackson tracked an EF-3 tornado with 145 mph winds for 31.3 miles across Lamar, Forrest and Perry counties (24.2 of them in Lamar and Forrest) between 3:35 and 4:13 a.m. Up to half a mile wide, it was approaching I-59 near the Lamar/Forrest county line in Hattiesburg. It killed 4 people and injured 57. That storm came before dawn in January, so keep weather alerts loud enough to wake you on overnight stops in any season, and get into a sturdy building when a tornado warning covers your location. In central Alabama the winter risk is ice. On January 28, 2014, snow fell on warm roads, melted and refroze, and NWS Birmingham described "traffic nightmares across the entire area." From January 28 to 31, Alabama State Troopers responded to 731 crashes statewide, and 9 deaths were attributed to crashes on icy roads. When NWS Birmingham forecasts a refreeze, plan to be parked before it starts.

Road Work : I-59 between US 49 S / Hattiesburg EX 67A and Moselle Rd EX 80 - Expect delays

I-59 between US 49 S / Hattiesburg EX 67A and Moselle Rd EX 80

Road Work : I-59 N between US 49 N / MS 42 W / Jackson EX 67B and MS 42 E / Evelyn Gandy Pkwy EX 69 - Expect d…

I-59 between US 49 N / MS 42 W / Jackson EX 67B and MS 42 E / Evelyn Gandy Pkwy EX 69

Abandoned Vehicle

I-59 NB @ MP 131.7

Disabled Vehicle

I-59 NB @ MP 134.13

Planned Roadway Improvements

I-59 NB @ MP 225.6 to MP 241.7

Planned Roadway Improvements

I-59 NB @ MP 194.71 to MP 204.5