Huntsville’s mayor outlined a vision of opportunity and growth in his state of the city address Tuesday – and nudged the state of Alabama over funding to improve an overtaxed interchange.

Speaking at a Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce event at the Von Braun Center, Mayor Tommy Battle called the I-565 interchange at Memorial Parkway the “linchpin” of the region’s transportation infrastructure. Yet it handles over 110,000 vehicles on an average day, over twice as many as the 45,000 it was designed for, he said.

“This is a federal road — make no mistake about it — it is the state’s responsibility,” Battle said. “The state receives federal funding to maintain and improve [it]. We want to work in partnership with the state, [but] … now it’s time for Alabama to put us on a priority list.”