Britt Renews Push for Northern Beltline
Sen. Katie Britt highlighted the Northern Beltline during a Senate budget hearing with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) again pushed for continued federal support of the Birmingham Northern Beltline during a Senate transportation budget hearing this week.
Speaking to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during a review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 transportation budget request, Britt pointed to the project as a major priority for Alabama’s future growth and freight movement.
“We have a number of projects in Alabama where we want to see those roads continue to be elevated so that people and products can move safer and more expeditiously across them,” Britt said, mentioning the Northern Beltline specifically, as well as widening I-65, in her comments to Secretary Duffy.
The hearing was held Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
The Birmingham Northern Beltline, which will eventually become Interstate 422, is planned as a 52-mile corridor linking Interstate 59 in northeast Jefferson County to Interstate 459 near Bessemer. Supporters say the project will improve traffic flow around Birmingham, create new industrial and commercial growth corridors, and shorten emergency response times across northern Jefferson County.
The Coalition for Regional Transportation praised Britt’s continued backing of the project following the hearing.
“Sen. Britt understands how transformational the Northern Beltline will be for our region’s future,” said Michael Staley, Executive Director of the Coalition. “Her leadership and continued advocacy have helped secure critical funding for this project, and we’re grateful for her strong support as construction continues moving forward. The Northern Beltline will open up multiple, new economic development opportunities for communities all along the corridor.”
The first completed section of the roadway is expected to open later this year. That segment will connect State Routes 75 and 79 in Pinson.
Project supporters say more than $570 million in federal funding has already been secured for the Northern Beltline. Britt has repeatedly advocated for the project during federal transportation discussions and site visits.
During a May 2025 visit to the construction site, Britt called the project essential to both Alabama and the broader Southeast region.
“The Birmingham Northern Beltline is a crucial project not just for local communities but for our state and for the entire region,” Britt said.
The Department of Transportation’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal was formally released in April and remains under congressional review.
The Coalition for Regional Transportation is an advocacy group that builds broad support for surface-transportation projects that will benefit the Birmingham region. CRT has been advocating for surface-transportation projects in the Birmingham region since 2008.
