MONTGOMERY, Ala. — With Alabama’s 2026 legislative session beginning in less than a month, construction continues to move forward on the new Alabama State House and a nearby parking deck in downtown Montgomery.
Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris said the project remains on schedule and under budget as crews push ahead with interior finishes and structural work. The roughly $400 million development includes the new legislative building, a 400 plus space parking deck, demolition of the current State House and creation of a public green space on that site.
“We’re really pleased with where we are,” Harris said. “We’re still on schedule. We’re still under budget. We’re pleased with the progression of the parking deck that goes along with the building, and we’re thrilled with where we stand right now.”
Harris said much of the interior work is already complete, with crews now focused on finishing the dome and roof to protect the building from weather.
“We’re trying to get the dome finished and the roof finished because you want to protect that from any moisture, any rain,” he said. “Luckily, the weather’s held out for us over the past few months.”
Officials expect the new State House to be ready for occupancy in late 2026, with lawmakers and staff moving into the building around September or October. The first full legislative session in the new facility is planned for 2027.
Construction is also advancing on a new parking deck designed to replace spaces lost during the multi-year project. Harris said the deck should be at least partially usable by Jan. 1.
“The parking deck, we feel, will be usable January 1,” Harris said. “Some of the outside precast and some of the decorative elements will not be finished, so we won’t be able to use the entire 400 plus spaces. But we will free up all the parking that we initially took off the streets.”
Harris credited strong cooperation among contractors and state officials for keeping the project moving, even as crews encountered unexpected challenges underground.
“Once you start digging, you begin to find all kinds of interesting things, pipes and drains and things underground that nobody knew were there,” he said. “I can’t talk nice enough about those people and the cooperation and the communication that’s gone on between everybody that’s been involved in the project.”
Once lawmakers relocate, the current State House will be demolished and replaced with a public green space. Harris said the goal is to have the complex nearly complete for inauguration ceremonies and the organizational session.
“We’re looking forward to having the inauguration ceremonies and the organizational session with it pretty much 98 to 99 percent complete,” Harris said, “including the green space where we are now.”
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