Photo courtesy of Nick Derzis
Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis
For nearly 14,000 Hoover families, the start of the 2026–2027 school year means life is getting back into its familiar rhythm.
Summer is always a welcome break from the routine, but once again, alarm clocks are ringing a little earlier, backpacks are packed, practices and activities are filling calendars, and families are settling back into the schedules that define most of our year.
To our Hoover students, teachers, faculty, coaches and administrators, I hope this is a year filled with learning, growth, new experiences, lasting friendships and achievements that make you proud. The first few weeks are always busy, but I know it is going to be a great year.
The return to school also means busier roads during the morning and afternoon rush hours. School buses are back out in force, making frequent stops throughout our neighborhoods and along some of our busiest roads. Please slow down, stay alert and be mindful of buses stopping to pick up and drop off our children.
It is a timely reminder that safe, efficient roads are about more than convenience. Our transportation infrastructure affects how safely and reliably we get to school, work and home to our families.
That brings me to some very good news. Hoover recently secured $16 million in new federal funding for the Exit 9 interchange on Interstate 459.
When our administration took office, we began looking for additional partners and funding opportunities to reduce Hoover taxpayers’ financial exposure on this project. The agreement signed in 2023 capped the state’s contribution, leaving Hoover responsible for costs above that amount. As the estimated project cost increased from $120 million to about $130.8 million, Hoover’s obligation was approaching $72 million.
Rather than simply accept that increase, we went looking for partners. We engaged the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham and pursued federal surface transportation funding available through the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization — a regional funding source that had not previously been pursued for Exit 9.
Securing it was a collaborative effort requiring months of coordination and the support and buy-in of our regional partners in Jefferson and Shelby counties and municipalities throughout the Birmingham region.
The result is $16 million in new funding that reduces Hoover’s estimated obligation to approximately $55.9 million — about $5 million less than the $61 million the city borrowed for the project in 2023, despite the project’s overall cost increasing. More than 70,000 vehicles travel this portion of I-459 each day. Exit 9 will help relieve congestion on Highway 150 and at Exit 10, improve travel times and provide an important new connection through our community and region.
I want to publicly thank the Regional Planning Commission staff, our regional partners, MPO committee members, our City Council and Hoover employees who worked hard to make this happen.
Exit 9 is a Hoover project, but it is also an investment in regional infrastructure. We approached it that way, and our partners responded. That is what government should constantly strive to do: build partnerships, find solutions and deliver positive results for the people we serve.
