Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey gives a thumbs-up during Inauguration Day on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Ala., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey began her first full term Monday.

Interstate 565 will be widened to six lanes in Madison and Limestone counties, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday at a lunch event in Montgomery that included members of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

Ivey cited the $1.6 billion Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. plant and its future suppliers as motivations for the project. Ivey was in Athens April 10 for the announcement of Toyota Boshoku, a Tier-1 supplier that will be located off West Sanderfer Road in the Breeding Industrial Park.

“With a major assembly plant like this, we will see a continuing growing cluster of suppliers coming in,” Ivey said in her comments to chamber officials. “This is just the beginning of a large number of quality suppliers coming to the area.”

She also praised Huntsville and Alabama’s roles in space exploration. She mentioned the efforts of Blue Origin, which is producing rocket engines in Huntsville.

“Huntsville, in the past and in the future, will be known for significant contributions to space exploration and discovery. Huntsville put man back on the moon,” she said. “From North Alabama to South Alabama, the aerospace industry has taken off.”