Keep an eye on these Birmingham developments in 2020 – AL.com

Development is booming in Birmingham. Every month, more construction sites pop up across the region.

Here are 10 developments to pay attention to in 2020.

1. Protective Stadium

By now, youve seen the huge bowl cut out of the earth in Uptown, but 2020 will bring actual construction happening at the stadium site.

Bids for construction were submitted on Dec. 17. Soon, the multi-million construction deal will be awarded. Construction should start in early 2020.

The $174 million stadium is expected to be complete by Fall 2021, in time for the 2021 UAB Blazers football season.

See the latest construction photos here.

Design renderings for the $123 million Legacy Arena renovation. Work is set to begin in Spring 2020. (images courtesy of Populous).

2. Legacy Arena renovations

Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is getting a major face lift. The arena, built in the 1970s, will be completely renovated inside and out.

Renovation work will begin after the Bassmaster Classic ends in March 2020. The renovation is expected to take about 18 months.

3. Southtown Court redevelopment

Speaking of face lifts, work to redevelop the Southtown Court housing community is set to begin in 2020. Residents are expected to move out of the 445-unit complex this summer.

Southside Development Corporation is leading the $26 million project that will turn the complex into a mixed-use, mixed-income development with senior and affordable housing, as well as commercial enterprises.

The entire redevelopment project, including housing units, stores and a grocery store, is expected to be complete by 2024.

Site plans for the Northside Park development, which will be on the former site of Carraway Hospital. (Corporate Realty)

4. Carraway Hospital site redevelopment

The former hospital site thats been the subject of YouTube videos about abandoned places will be demolished and the site redeveloped in 2020. Work is expected to begin in Spring 2020. The new development will be called Northside Park.

Carraway Hospital closed in October 2008 after encountering a series of financial issues that led to the hospital filing bankruptcy twice. About 1,000 people lost their jobs when the hospital closed. The closure put Carraway among one of more than 20 hospitals that have closed since 2000.

Real estate company Corporate Realty wants to turn the former hospital site into a multi-use development complete with office, retail, entertainment, hotel and residential space.

View from the Boutwell Parking deck looking east. I-59/20 bridge construction project. Photos taken 12-11-19. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com)

5. I-59/20 bridge project

The work to complete the new Interstate 59/20 bridges through downtown Birmingham is nearly complete. The project included completely demolishing and replacing the interstate interchange, ramps and bridges.

The interchange has been closed since Jan. 21, 2019. It could open as early as Jan. 21, 2020, earning contractor Johnson Brothers a hefty bonus. The work needed to be complete by March 21.

See the latest construction photos here.

Renovations at Wald Park are set to be complete in spring 2020. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com)

6. Wald Park

Wald Park in Vestavia Hills is getting $15 million worth of upgrades. The plans for Wald Park include two new pools, along with a dog park, new baseball fields, tennis courts, and more

The park project is part of a larger city initiative, called the Community Spaces and Infrastructure Program. That campaign is expected to cost approximately $58 million and will include a new community center, improvements for storm water drainage, and updates to fields at Cahaba Heights Elementary School. There are also plans for widening certain roads and paving others.

Work on the park is expected to be complete by Spring 2020.

(Contributed | UAB)

7. University of Alabama at Birmingham construction projects

While students were away on summer break, UAB was hard at work on various construction projects across campus.

Creature is the the designer and contractor for the New Ideal Lofts, which are adjacent to the Pizitz Food Hall on 18th Street North.

8. New Ideal Lofts

The former New Ideal department store building is being transformed into condominiums and retail space. Architecture and construction firm Creature is redeveloping the space.

The former department store sits at Second Avenue North and 18th Street North. The building has been vacant since around 1990, said Creature CEO and Co-founder Mike Gibson. The New Ideal was originally built as a department store in 1908.

Micro, one- and two-bedroom units are available. The units range in size from 390 to 1,900 square feet. Price ranges for the units are from $144,900 to $524,900.

William Thornton

Gov. Kay Ivey is joined by several officials at the groundbreaking for the Grand River Technology Park Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019.

9. Grand River Technology Park

The Grand River Technology Park, between Barber Motorsports Park and the future site of the relocated Southern Museum of Flight, is expected to be complete by spring 2020. A groundbreaking on the 64-acre site was held in October.

The project was announced in February as a regional hub for research and development, tourism and light manufacturing. Officials said it could add more than 1,200 jobs and have an economic impact of about $85 million.

The technology park is another large scale development at the I-20 exit near Leeds, which has seen several projects over the last two decades - Barber Motorsports Park, Bass Pro Shops, the Shops at Grand River, and the announcement this year of a 50,000-square-foot Buc-ees convenience store, gas station and travel center.

Birmingham's Zyp BikeShare program will soon be replaced with new electric scooters and pedal-assist bikes. The Zyp bikes will be decommissioned by the end of 2019. The new e-bikes and scooters should be rolling on Birmingham streets by March 2020. (Anna Beahm | abeahm@al.com).

10. New scooters and e-bikes coming to Birmingham

This last one isnt a construction project, but it represents another new means of transportation in Birmingham. The city recently launched its pilot with Via, an on-demand transit service that uses vans instead of large buses on fixed routes.

More scooters and electric bikes will add another layer of the evolving transportation in Birmingham. The scooters and bikes will replace the Zyp bikes.

The Birmingham Department of Transportation hasnt announced which brand of scooters and bikes will be coming to the city, but city officials said to expect that announcement in early 2020.

What other projects do you want to know about? Let us know through the form below or through this link.

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Keep an eye on these Birmingham developments in 2020 - AL.com