Interstate 565

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Interstate 565 Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	21.688 mi[1] (34.903 km)
Formed:	1991
West end:	I-65 / SR-20 in Decatur
East end:	US-72 in Huntsville
Alabama State Routes

Interstate 565 (I-565) is a 22-mile (35 km) long Interstate spur that connects Interstate 65 (I-65) in Decatur, Alabama with U.S. Highway 72 in Huntsville, Alabama.

I-565 serves the cities of Decatur, Madison, and downtown Huntsville. It also provides a route to the Huntsville International Airport.

I-565 forms a part of Appalachian Development Highway System Corridor V. U.S. Highway 72 Alternate also follows this entire route of I-565.

Contents 1 History 2 Future 3 Exit list 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

When the Interstate Highway system was envisioned in the 1950s I-65 was routed near Decatur, Alabama as it was the largest city at the time in extreme northern Alabama between Birmingham and Nashville. In the late 1950s and early 1960s Huntsville was going through a population boom as result of the space race and the new George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. By the late 1960s Huntsville had grown to become more than twice the size of Decatur and it had become obvious that a spur was needed to connect Huntsville with I-65. Construction finally began in 1987 and completed on 26 October 1991. At the time construction had begun, Huntsville was the largest city in the Continental United States which was not connected to the Interstate System.

When I-565 first opened, it was signed north-south, which provided some level of confusion as the highway runs mostly east-west, and the highway was resigned as east-west not long after opening.^{[citation needed]}

Unlike many urban Interstates that feature a speed limit of 55 mph, I-565 maintains a speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h) well into the urban area and 65 mph (100 km/h) on the elevated section through downtown.

On November 20, 2006, a school bus carrying high school students collided with another vehicle or swerved to avoid a collision and drove off an elevated on-ramp to the roadway, falling nose-first approximately 30 feet to the ground.^{[2] [3] [4]} Four teenage girls were killed in the accident. See 2006 Huntsville bus accident.

[edit] Future

Plans are currently in place to extend I-565 east several miles past the junction of U.S. Highway 72 along a newly upgraded freeway section of US-72 east of Huntsville. Construction could start on two new exits at Moores Mill Road and Shields Road in 2009. Just south of Madison, plans are to provide an interchange between the highway and County Line Road to put less stress on the Wall-Triana interchange and allow quicker access to the western suburbs. Plans are also in place to extend I-565 west from the junction of I-65 along the route of SR-20 and Alternate US-72 to the junction with US-31 in the northern city limits of Decatur with eventual plans on building a new bridge over the Tennessee River connecting on the west side of Decatur. In January 2007, leaders in Northwest Alabama announced that they are launching a campaign to extend the planned I-565 spur west to Florence. ^[5] I-565 is part of the route that would connect Memphis, Tennessee with Atlanta, Georgia via Rome, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee as part of ISTEA High Priority Corridor 7.

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Mile[1]	#	Destinations	Notes
Limestone	Decatur	0.000		SR-20 west (US-72 Alt. west) – Decatur	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		0.000	1	I-65 – Birmingham, Nashville	Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) eastbound
	Huntsville
			2	Mooresville Road
		3.477	3	Greenbrier Road
			5	Madison Boulevard, County Line Road	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former SR-20 east
Madison			7	Huntsville International Airport
	Madison		8	Wall-Triana Highway, Madison Boulevard (SR-20)
	Huntsville	13.059	13	Madison Boulevard	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR-20 west
		14.365	14	SR-255 north (Research Park Boulevard) / Rideout Road – Redstone Arsenal Gate 9	Signed as exits 14A (Gate 9) and 14B (SR-255) westbound
			15	Madison Pike, Sparkman Drive, Bob Wallace Avenue	Entrance to U.S. Space and Rocket Center
		17.015	17A	SR-53 north (Jordan Lane) to US-72	Signed as exit 17 westbound
		17.381	17B	SR-53 south (Governors Drive)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		19.057	19	US-231 / US-431 (Memorial Parkway, SR-1)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north)
		19.057	19B	US-231 / US-431 (Memorial Parkway, SR-1) / Pratt Avenue west, Washington Street north	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			19C	Washington Street, Jefferson Street - Downtown	Signed as exit 19A westbound
			20	Oakwood Avenue, Andrew Jackson Way
		21.688	21	US-72 west (SR-2 west)
		21.688		US-72 east (SR-2 east)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Interstate Guide I-565
• AA-Roads Corridor V / Corridor 7
• AA-Roads Corridor 11

v • d • e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 65 Alabama: 165 • 565 — Kentucky-Indiana: 265 — Indiana: 465 • 865 — Tennessee: 265 (former)