Mayor Tommy Battle named I-565 to Shields Road, the Parkway interchange and U.S. 72 West as his road priorities. A new BIG Picture plan starts in 2027.

Mayor Tommy Battle used his State of the City address on Monday to ask the state and federal governments to pay for three big road projects in Huntsville.

He also announced a new version of The BIG Picture, the city’s long-range plan. Work on it starts in 2027 with public meetings. The city published the main points of the speech in a news release.

It was Battle’s 18th State of the City address. He spoke in the Von Braun Center’s Saturn Ballroom to a sold-out audience of more than 1,200 business and community leaders, the city said.

The three road projects

Battle said a better transportation system comes first for the city’s future. His top priorities are:

  • extending Interstate 565 east to Shields Road
  • rebuilding the I-565 and Memorial Parkway interchange
  • adding capacity to U.S. 72 West

“We need to have a serious conversation,” Battle said. “Huntsville has done its part to help deliver a half-billion dollars in road improvements. We’ve invested our own tax dollars to accelerate state projects because our growth couldn’t wait. Now, we need the state and federal governments to step up.”

He pointed to Eli Lilly and Company’s plans for a $6 billion campus in Huntsville, announced less than a year ago. The city called it the largest private investment in state history.

“We’ve been patient,” Battle said. “We’ve been good partners. And we’ve put our money where our mouth is. Now it’s north Alabama’s turn.”

He said he would keep making that case in Montgomery and Washington.

The BIG Picture: Next Generation

The first BIG Picture plan came from resident ideas gathered about 10 years ago. “Ten years ago, we asked the people of Huntsville a simple question: What do you want this city to become?” Battle said.

The city said those ideas fed into new parks, housing, arts and redevelopment. It also credited the plan with helping recruit businesses such as Trader Joe’s and Cheesecake Factory.

The second version, The BIG Picture: Next Generation, will launch in 2027. The city said it will be built from public meetings and the views of people who live and work in Huntsville.

Space Command

Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, was in the audience. Battle said Space Command will soon break ground on its headquarters at Redstone Arsenal.

“U.S. Space Command joins this extraordinary concentration of national security capabilities here in Huntsville,” he said.

The city describes Huntsville as Alabama’s largest city and the 94th largest in the country, with more than 250,000 residents. “I’ve always said I don’t want Huntsville to be the biggest,” Battle said. “I want Huntsville to be the best.”

What it means for you

  • No road money is promised yet. The three projects are the mayor’s priorities, not funded plans. Any state money would come through the Alabama Department of Transportation. For the work happening now, see our Huntsville road closures page.
  • You can help shape the next plan. The BIG Picture: Next Generation public meetings start in 2027. The city has not set dates yet. We will list them when it does.
  • Tell your council member what matters to you. Our who to call at City Hall page lists every district’s contact.