(CONTRIBUTED/Huntsville Engineering Department)

MADISON – After waiting for many years, residents of Madison eventually will have a smoother, safer drive on Old Madison Pike.

The long-awaited project will widen Old Madison Park between Slaughter Road and Jan Davis Drive/Diamond Drive and replace a narrow bridge. The Alabama Department of Transportation will close this section of Old Madison Pike starting March 10 until the estimated completion date in June 2015.

Motorists must seek alternate routes driving west from Huntsville to enter Madison or when traveling east to Huntsville. Only local traffic will be allowed at the intersections with Slaughter and Jan Davis/Diamond.

Farrow Drive gives access to Cummings Research Park. Officials also recommend detouring to Madison Boulevard and taking Governors West to access research park and Bridge Street area.

According to the City of Huntsville Engineering Department, the entrance to Madison Academy on Old Madison Pike will be closed. Motorists can enter the campus from Slaughter Road.

In addition, access to Indian Creek Greenway from Old Madison Pike will be closed. Individuals can access the greenway in the Creekwood Subdivision at the intersection of Slaughter Road and Maple Valley Drive. Signs will direct motorists to the greenway parking area.

Madison City Schools officials released a statement about the road closure. The construction will not affect the entrance to Horizon Elementary School, but traffic to Horizon and in nearby neighborhoods may change. Officials urge caution during the transition period for traffic patterns to stabilize.

For information about Madison roadways, visit the City of Madison website at madisonal.gov.

For more information about the project, call Randy Hunt, ALDOT Division One, Construction Section, at 256-582-2254.