The City of Birmingham announced Wednesday that some city offices will extend their regular business hours during what is expected to be a 14-month closure of Interstate 59/20 through downtown, as the aging interstate bridges are torn down and replaced.

The Birmingham Department of Finance’s Tax & Licensing and Cash Management divisions and the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits’ (PEP) One-Stop Permitting, Condemnation and Engineering field staff will operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m, Monday through Friday, as construction will require the portion of I-59/20 through downtown, blocks from City Hall, to shut down for more than a year.

The extended hours for the city departments will be in effect beginning Jan. 14.

The city says the expanded hours will offer more opportunities for individuals needing to pay fees, apply for business licenses or other permits while City Hall may be more difficult to reach due to traffic and construction-related road closures.

“We encourage all downtown employers to consider innovative ways to help both employees and customers conduct business during the interstate construction project,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said in the news release. “Flexible hours will go a long way in helping our businesses run smoothly as possible during this transition period.”

The Alabama Department of Transportation has not announced what day the interstate closure will start, but said it is expected to be “mid to late January.”

Once the interstate is closed, contractors will have 14 months to demolish and replace the aging interstate bridges through the city’s central business district, according to ALDOT. The contractors will face a $250,000 penalty for each day past the 14-month deadline the interstate remains closed. Similarly, if the new interstate reopens in less than 14 months, they will receive a $250,000 bonus for each day before the deadline.

The contractors also have obligations to keep at least one lane of traffic flowing north and south in three separate zones that will be affected by the construction.

In addition to rebuilding the bridges, ALDOT is also converting the space under the interstate into a public park called CityWalk Bham. If the project maintains its current schedule, the interstate would reopen in March 2020, and the entire project would be complete by November 2020.