Interstate 65 in Alabama

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Interstate 65
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 367 mi (591 km)
South end: I-10 in Mobile
Major
junctions:		 I-165 in Prichard
I-85 in Montgomery
I-459 in Hoover
I-20/I-59 in Birmingham

I-565/US-72 Alternate in Decatur
North end: I-65 at the Tennessee line
Alabama State Routes
< SR-64 SR-65 >

Interstate 65, beginning in Mobile at an interchange with Interstate 10, meanders across 367 miles (591 km) of the Alabama countryside linking 6 of the states 10 largest cities. The highway links together many vital roadways that make commerce inside and outside of the state's boundaries possible. The interstate finally exits at the Alabama/Tennessee state line, north of Athens.

Contents

[edit] Route description

I-65 starts in Mobile at Interstate 10, not far from the Gulf of Mexico. From there it runs northeast, intersecting with Interstate 165 in Prichard, Alabama and crossing the Mobile River delta at the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge. En route to Montgomery, it passes county seats Evergreen (Conecuh County) and Greenville (Butler County). At Montgomery, it intersects the southern terminus of Interstate 85 and crosses the Alabama River north of the city.

At Chilton County, I-65 enters the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Approximately halfway between Montgomery and Birmingham, it passes Clanton (Chilton County seat), where the water tower, visible from the road, is shaped and painted to resemble a huge peach.

I-65 intersects Interstate 459 in Hoover, then passes through the cities of Vestavia Hills and Homewood, which often generate heavy traffic. As the interstate passes by downtown Birmingham, south-bound travelers have a view of the Vulcan statue atop Red Mountain. At the north edge of downtown, I-65 intersects Interstates 20 and 59 with a cross-over interchange, often called Malfunction Junction.

North of Birmingham, I-65 performs a unique scrape-intersection with US-31. The incomplete Interstate 22 from Memphis, Tennessee is expected to intersect there with the most expensive interchange in Alabama history, consisting of approximately 14 bridges. The interstate then continues 98 miles (158 km) in the general direction of Huntsville, passing the city of Cullman on the way. After entering the Decatur Metropolitan Area, in southern Morgan County, the interstate passes Decatur. The highway connects the Decatur and Huntsville Metropolitan Areas as it crosses Wheeler Lake (Tennessee River) on a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) bridge. The interstate emerges again into the fringes of Decatur, in an open area of seemingly "endless" cotton fields where it intersects, inside Decatur, with Alabama 20 , Alternate 72, and the spur-route, Interstate 565 to Huntsville.

Between Walkers Chapel Road in Fultondale and the Tennessee River in Decatur (Limestone County), I-65 has been designated the "Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway". The sign designating the north end of this portion of road cites Reagan's speech in Decatur on July 4, 1984. The interstate then continues towards the state line, passing Athens and intersecting with U.S. Highway 72. At the state line, the southbound lanes receive a welcome center, complete with a Saturn I rocket.

In the Birmingham/Hoover vicinity, a plan to widen the interstate from North Birmingham to Alabaster has been proposed. The project is to widen the interstate by adding a HOV lane and keeping the original 3 lanes making it four lanes in each direction. This is planned to stretch to the Pelham area. From there on the interstate will widen from 2 lanes each way to 3 lanes each way into the Helena/Alabaster area.

[edit] Major cities

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities.

[edit] Exit list

County Location # Destinations Notes
Mobile Mobile 0 I-10 - Mississippi, Florida Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1 US-90 (Government Boulevard, SR-16)
3 Airport Boulevard Serves Mobile Regional Airport
4 Dauphin Street
5A Springhill Avenue
5B US-98 (Moffett Road, SR-42)
Prichard 8 US-45 (SR-13) – Prichard, Citronelle
9 I-165 south – Prichard, Downtown Mobile
10 West Lee Street
Saraland 13 SR-158 / SR-213 – Eight Mile, Saraland
15 Saraland, Citronelle
19 US-43 – Satsuma, Creola
22 Creola
Bridge over the Mobile River and Tensaw River (General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge)
Baldwin
31 SR-225 – Stockton, Spanish Fort
34 SR-59 – Bay Minette, Stockton
37 SR-287 (Gulf Shores Parkway) – Bay Minette, Rabun
45 Rabun, Perdido
Escambia 54 CR-1
57 SR-21 – Atmore, Uriah
69 SR-113 – Flomaton, Wallace
77 SR-41 – Brewton, Repton
Conecuh 83 Castleberry, Lenox
93 US-84 (SR-12) – Evergreen, Monroeville
96 SR-83 – Evergreen, Midway
101 Owassa
Butler 107 Grace, Garland
114 SR-106 – Georgiana, Starlington
Greenville 128 SR-10 – Greenville, Pine Apple South end of SR-10 Truck overlap
130
SR-185 / SR-10 Truck east – Greenville		 North end of SR-10 Truck overlap
Lowndes 142 SR-185 – Fort Deposit, Logan
151 SR-97 – Letohatchee, Davenport
158 To US-31 (SR-3) – Pintlala, Tyson
Montgomery Montgomery 164 US-31 (SR-3) – Pintlala, Hope Hull
167 US-80 west (SR-8 west) – Selma South end of US-80/SR-8 overlap
168 US-80 east / US-82 east (South Boulevard, SR-6 east/SR-8 east/SR-21) to US-231 (SR-53) / US-331 (SR-9) North end of US-80/SR-8 overlap; south end of US-82/SR-6 overlap
169 Edgemont Avenue Southbound exit and northbound entrance
170 Fairview Avenue
171 I-85 north / Day Street - Atlanta
172 Herron Street, Clay Street - Downtown Montgomery
Bridge over the Alabama River
Elmore
173 To US-231 (North Boulevard, SR-152 to SR-53)
176 SR-143 – Millbrook, Coosada Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Millbrook 179 US-82 west (SR-6 west) / to Montgomery Toll Road – Millbrook, Prattville North end of US-82/SR-6 overlap
181 SR-14 – Prattville, Wetumpka
Autauga 186 US-31 (SR-3) – Pine Level, Prattville
Chilton 200 Verbena
Clanton 205 US-31 / SR-22 (SR-3) – Clanton, Verbena
208 Clanton, Lake Mitchell
212 SR-145 – Clanton, Lay Dam
219 Jemison, Thorsby
Shelby Calera 228 SR-25 – Montevallo, Calera
231 US-31 (SR-3) – Saginaw, Calera, Montevallo
234 Shelby County Airport
238 US-31 (SR-3) – Alabaster, Saginaw
Pelham 242 Pelham, Helena
246 SR-119 (Cahaba Valley Road)
Hoover 247 CR-17 (Valleydale Road)
Jefferson 250 I-459 - Atlanta, Gadsden, Tuscaloosa
252 US-31 (Montgomery Highway, SR-3)
254 Alford Avenue
Homewood 255 Lakeshore Drive
256 Oxmoor Road - Homewood Signed as exits 256A (west) and 256B (east) southbound
Birmingham 258 Green Springs Avenue
259A University Boulevard (SR-149), 6th Avenue South Signed as exit 259 northbound
259B 4th Avenue South Southbound exit and northbound entrance
260 US-11 (3rd Avenue North, US-78/SR-4 east/SR-7) / 6th Avenue North – Downtown Birmingham South end of Sr-4 overlap; signed as exit 260B northbound
261 I-20 (SR-4 west) / I-59 – Gadsden, Atlanta, Tuscaloosa North end of SR-4 overlap; signed as exits 261A (east/north) and 261B (west/south)
262A 16th Street Northbound exit and southbound entrance
262B Finley Boulevard
263 32nd Avenue, 33rd Avenue
264 41st Avenue
266 US-31 (SR-3) – Fultondale
267 Walkers Chapel Road
Gardendale 271 Fieldstown Road
272 Mt. Olive Road
275 To US-31 (SR-3) – Morris
Warrior 280 US-31 (SR-3) – Warrior
281 Warrior
282 Robbins, Warrior
Blount Smoke Rise 284 US-31 south (SR-3 south) / SR-160 east – Hayden Corner South end of US-31/SR-3 overlap
287 US-31 north (SR-3 north) – Garden City, Blount Springs North end of US-31/SR-3 overlap
289 Empire, Blount Springs
Cullman 291 SR-91 – Hanceville, Arkadelphia
299 SR-69 south – Jasper South end of SR-69 overlap
304 SR-69 north – Cullman, Good Hope North end of SR-69 overlap
Cullman 308 US-278 (SR-74) – Cullman, Double Springs
310 SR-157 – Cullman, Moulton
Morgan 318 US-31 (SR-3) – Lacon, Vinemont
322 Falkville, Eva
Hartselle 325 Thompson Road
328 SR-36 – Hartselle
Decatur, Priceville 334 SR-67 – Decatur, Priceville, Somerville
Bridge over Wheeler Lake (Tennessee River)
Limestone
Decatur 340 I-565 east / SR-20 west (US-72 Alt.) – Huntsville, Decatur Signed as exits 340A (west) and 340B (east) southbound
Athens 351 US-72 (SR-2) – Athens, Huntsville
354 US-31 south – Athens South end of US-31 overlap
361 Elkmont
365 SR-53 – Ardmore

[edit] References

v • d • e
Major highways of Greater Birmingham
I-20 • I-59 • I-459 • I-65 • US 11 (Bessemer/Gadsden) • US 31 (Decatur/Montgomery) • US 78 (Bankhead/Crestwood) • US 280 • Red Mountain Expressway • Lakeshore Parkway • Proposed I-22 • Corridor X-1


Interstate 65
Previous state:
Terminus		 Alabama Next state:
Tennessee