By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Alabama Department of Transportation will close portions of Interstate 65 between Alabaster and Pelham over the next few weeks as crews patch portions of the road.

The nighttime asphalt patching work will be conducted between 8 p.m.-5 a.m. each day on the stretch of interstate between Alabaster’s exit 238 and Pelham’s exit 242, according to an ALDOT road advisory issued on April 5. The work began on April 7, and will be conducted for about four weeks.

Crews began patching the southbound outside lane on April 7. After work is completed on the southbound outside lane, the patching operation will move to the northbound inside lane near exit 238.

“Following the inside (left) lane patching northbound to a point near exit 238, the

northbound outside (right) lane will be patched from milepost 237.4 to milepost 241.8,” read the road advisory. “Then patching operations will be moved to the southbound inside (left) lane from milepost 241.8 to milepost 237.4, and then to the northbound inside (left) lane to complete the patching from the 238 interchange north to milepost 241.8, which is south of the 242 interchange.”

ALDOT encouraged drivers to consider using alternate routes or adjusting travel times during scheduled patching times.