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Interstate 20 in Alabama

Route map:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interstate 20 marker
Interstate 20
Map
I-20 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ALDOT
Length214.7 mi (345.5 km)
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-20 / I-59 at the Mississippi border near Cuba
Major intersections
East end I-20 at the Georgia line near Abernathy
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountiesSumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, St. Clair, Talladega, Calhoun, Cleburne
Highway system
  • Alabama State Highway System
SR 19 SR 20

In Alabama, Interstate 20 (I-20) travels 214.7 miles (345.5 km) through the center of the state.[1] It enters the state from Mississippi near Cuba, and travels northeastward through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. At Birmingham, I-20 turns eastward and heads through Oxford before crossing the Georgia state line near Lebanon. Other cities on the route include Livingston, Bessemer, and Pell City.

For approximately 130 miles (210 km), more than half its distance within the state, I-20 is concurrent with I-59 from the Mississippi state line to eastern Birmingham near Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. Mileage and exits on the concurrency are I-59's, although both highways have the same mileage for the Alabama concurrency.

Route description

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Western Alabama

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After I-20/I-59 enters Alabama from Mississippi, they travel concurrently northeastward across the Tombigbee River and Black Warrior River delta country which is generally low-lying farmland until reaching Tuscaloosa. This area contains low population. U.S. Route 11 (US 11) parallels this route from Mississippi northeastward while it passes through small towns like York, Livingston, and Eutaw before reaching Tuscaloosa. From the Mississippi–Alabama state line to Tuscaloosa, I-20/I-59 is a four-lane route.

At Tuscaloosa, the highway connects with I-359 which travels northward into downtown Tuscaloosa and to the University of Alabama. After the I-359 junction, the route widens to become six lanes. From Tuscaloosa to Birmingham, the highway continues on an east-northeast heading traveling through rolling forested terrain until reaching I-459 southwest of Bessemer. All of the stretch from Tuscaloosa to the I-459 junction near Bessemer is six lanes. This stretch also hosts the Mercedes auto plant which is a large employer of residents primarily from Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Bibb counties. I-459 travels east and then northeast around the southern periphery of the Birmingham area before reconnecting first with I-20 near Irondale and then terminating at I-59 near Trussville. I-422 (Birmingham Northern Beltline) is slated to connect to I-20/I-59 at the I-459 interchange; however, this project is still years away from completion.

I-20/I-59 approaching Birmingham in Ensley
I-20/I-59 approaching I-65 in downtown Birmingham before the section of highway was rebuilt in 2019. This was sometimes referred to locally as Malfunction Junction.

Birmingham

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After passing the I-459 interchange, the highway continues northeast as a four-lane highway through the Birmingham suburbs of Bessemer, Hueytown, and Fairfield before widening after exit 118 in Fairfield to at least six lanes as the interstate approaches Birmingham near the Ensley community. Most of this stretch is through urban areas including passing near the U.S. Steel plant near Fairfield, and visible from the Interstate looking north and northwest are several smokestacks which is all that remain of several large steel mills that used to dominate the Ensley community of Birmingham.

As I-20/I-59 travels eastward just past the Arkadelphia Road exit in the East Thomas community, the highway rises to the top of East Thomas hill, giving eastbound travelers an excellent view of the downtown Birmingham skyline just before reaching the interchange with I-65 (commonly called "Malfunction Junction").

As I-20/I-59 leaves the downtown area, the highway has an interchange with the Elton B. Stephens Expressway, also known locally as the Red Mountain Expressway, which travels south across the downtown area and into the southern Birmingham suburbs.

The highway continues east-northeast through downtown before reaching the Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport where I-59 continues northeast toward Gadsden and I-20 turns eastward toward Atlanta.

Once I-20 turns away from I-59, it begins an eastbound journey toward Georgia. The first two miles (3.2 km) are a four-lane bridge of east Birmingham neighborhoods before reaching the shopping areas formerly known as Eastwood Mall and Century Plaza.

I-20 is a six-lane freeway from exit 132 to exit 162. This highway travels through rolling suburban country and crosses I-459 near Irondale.

"Bloody 20"

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The section of I-20 between Leeds and Pell City was one of the most dangerous stretches of Interstate Highway in Alabama. The terrain is significantly hilly as the route passes across the extreme southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. There are two significant uphill grades in each direction which slows down truck traffic. However, due to the heavy volumes of truck traffic, combined with speeding car traffic, accidents were frequent and sometimes deadly. This part of I-20 was sometimes called "Bloody 20". Between 2010 and 2014, work was completed to add one additional lane in each direction along I-20.

Eastern Alabama

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The highway continues as a six-lane highway until reaching the Coosa River bridge near Riverside. This bridge was scheduled to be replaced when the stretch between the Coosa River and milemarker 172 is widened to six lanes from four lanes. However, no timetable for this project has been announced. Exits 165 and 168 serve the Honda Motor Company which has a plant at Lincoln. Exits 168 and 173 serve the Talladega Superspeedway which hosts two NASCAR racing weeks each year. The terrain east of milemarker 155 until reaching milemarker 191 is the relatively flat Coosa River valley.

SR 202 at I-20 at exit 179

East of milemarker 172 until milemarker 188, the route is once again six lanes. From exit 188 to exit 205, I-20 narrows again to four lanes. East of exit 205, I-20 becomes a six-lane route until it reaches exit 210. However, in this area, construction is ongoing to widen the last five miles (8.0 km) to six lanes to the Georgia state line. I-20 dives into Oxford from the west into its interchange with Alabama State Route 21 (SR 21). Here, you can see Quintard Mall and some of the highest mountains in Alabama, including Cheaha Mountain. The Anniston–Oxford metropolitan area is served by exits 179, 185, 188, and 191.

Just east of exit 191 is a significant uphill/downhill grade (uphill eastbound/downhill westbound) approximately two miles (3.2 km) long. Truck traffic is significantly slowed by this hill, causing occasional traffic backups. East of this incline, the route travels through generally rural forested rolling country until the Georgia state line, continuing roughly 50 miles (80 km) to Atlanta.

This stretch of Interstate contains multiple parclo Interchanges.

East of Birmingham, US 78 serves as the parallel U.S. Route.

History

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The completion of I-20 in Alabama was done in numerous stages. Few segments were completed in such a way that they had interchanges with existing segments. The first section to be opened was a 21-mile-long (34 km) segment between Leeds and Riverside in the early 1960s. The next section to open was a 28-mile-long (45 km) segment between the Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa–Jefferson county line in the mid-1960s.

The next section of I-20 to open in Alabama was a four-mile-long (6.4 km) stretch between Avenue I in Ensley and Arkadelphia Road (US 78/SR 5) near Birmingham–Southern College. This was the first segment of Interstate Highway to open in Birmingham. This segment, as well as a one-mile-long (1.6 km) segment from the Mississippi state line to what is now exit 1, leading to Cuba opened in the late 1960s.

The early 1970s saw more sections of I-20 completed in Alabama, including a 50-mile-long (80 km) segment between Epes and Tuscaloosa, a three-mile-long (4.8 km) segment between Fairfield and Ensley, a two-mile-long (3.2 km) segment between US 78 and I-65, a six-mile-long (9.7 km) segment between US 78 in Riverside and SR 77 in Lincoln, then an additional 13 miles (21 km) leading to SR 21 at Oxford.

During the mid-1970s, I-20 was extended further east in Birmingham. The first segment to open east of I-65 was a short segment leading to 17th Street in downtown, then another segment that extended the route to 22nd Street near the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center. The opening of additional segments continuing eastward led to temporary ends of I-20 at SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street) near Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport, then at US 78 in Irondale. Also, the segment of the highway between Bessemer and Fairfield was completed. In the eastern part of the state, I-20 was extended east from Oxford to SR 9 near Heflin.

During the late 1970s, I-20 was completed in east Alabama; however, only six miles (9.7 km) of the highway was opened since it was not complete in Georgia. The segment between the Georgia state line and Douglasville was among the final segments of Interstate Highway to be completed in Georgia. The temporary end of I-20 in Alabama was at SR 46. Also, the final section of I-20 connecting Tuscaloosa and Birmingham was completed, as the section of US 11 between the Tuscaloosa–Jefferson county line and Bessemer was upgraded from an expressway to a limited-access highway.

In the early 1980s, segments connecting Cuba and Livingston and then Livingston and Epes completed I-20 between the Mississippi state line and Birmingham. The final segment of the route to be completed was an eight-mile-long (13 km) section between Irondale and Leeds. This segment opened in 1985.

I-20 has no three-digit spur routes in Alabama, although at one time there was discussion of a spur northward from Oxford into Anniston which would also serve as a connection to the US Army base at Fort McClellan as well as to Gadsden. The closing of the base as well as a lack of population between Anniston and Gadsden eliminated the necessity of such a route. I-459 south of Birmingham connects to I-20 east and west of the city, continuing to I-59 northeast of the routes' split.

On January 21, 2019, along the concurrency with I-59, a segment of the Interstate, as well as an interchange with I-65 locally known as "Malfunction Junction" was closed for demolition; it will be converted to a redesigned stack interchange with right-side exits.[2]

Exit list

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CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Sumter0.0000.000

I-20 west / I-59 south – Meridian
Continuation into Mississippi
Cuba0.8041.2941

To US 80 east (SR 8 east) – Cuba, Demopolis
3
I-85 north – Montgomery
Proposed interchange; future southern terminus of I-85
York8.04112.9418 SR 17 – York
Livingston17.05927.45417 SR 28 – Livingston, Boyd
23.14137.24223
CR 20 to SR 39 – Gainesville, Epes
GreeneBoligee32.22951.86832 CR 20 – Boligee, West Greene
Eutaw40.76665.60740 SR 14 – Aliceville, Eutaw
45.33472.95845 CR 208 – Union
Knoxville52.24484.07952 US 11 / US 43 (SR 7 / SR 13) – Knoxville
Tuscaloosa62.466100.52962SR 300Fosters
68.033109.48968Joe Mallisham Parkway
Tuscaloosa71.367114.85471 I-359 / SR 69 (US 11 / SR 7) – Tuscaloosa, MoundvilleSigned as exits 71A (SR 69 south) & 71B (I-359/SR 69 north); southern terminus of I-359; parclo interchange
73.003117.48773 US 82 / SR 6 (McFarland Boulevard)Luther Stancel Pate III Memorial Bridge
75.961122.24776 US 11 / SR 7 (Skyland Boulevard)
77.102124.08477Buttermilk RoadFormerly signed for Cottondale
79.895128.57979 US 11 (SR 7) – Coaling, Cottondale
86.295138.87886Brookwood, Vance
89.253143.63989Mercedes Drive
97.138156.32897

US 11 south / SR 5 south (SR 7 south) – West Blocton, Centreville
South end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
100.292161.404100SR 216Lake ViewEastern terminus of SR 216
Jefferson104.159167.628104Rock Mountain Lake RoadAccess via McAshan Drive
McCalla106.201170.914106
I-459 north – Gadsden, Atlanta, Montgomery

Future I-422 north
Proposed interchange with I-422; southern terminus of I-459; future southern terminus of I-422; trumpet interchange for now
Bessemer108.396174.446108

US 11 north / SR 5 north / SR 7 north (Academy Drive)
North end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
110.021177.062110Splash Adventure Parkway
112.341180.79511218th Street / 19th Street
Brighton113.280182.30611318th Avenue – Brighton
Midfield115.520185.911115Allison–Bonnett Memorial Drive / Jaybird Road
Fairfield118.304190.392118Valley Road – Fairfield
119.025191.552119Lloyd Nolan ParkwaySigned as exit 119A southbound
Ensley119.727192.682119BAvenue ISouthbound exit and northbound entrance
120.934194.624120 SR 269 (20th Street Ensley) / Ensley AvenueSouthern terminus of SR 269
121.238195.114121Bush BoulevardSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Birmingham123.374198.551123 US 78 / SR 4 (Arkadelphia Road)
124.740200.750124A6th Avenue North – DowntownEastbound exit only
124B-C I-65 – Montgomery, HuntsvilleSigned as exits 124B (south) and 124C (north); I-65 exits 261B-C; hybrid interchange
125.221201.524124D17th Street N. – DowntownEastbound exit and westbound entrance
125.639202.196125B22nd Street – DowntownClosed; was signed as exit 125 westbound
126.239203.162126A

US 31 south / US 280 east (SR 3 south)


Carraway Boulevard to US 31 north (SR 3 north)
Western terminus of US 280
126.825204.105126B31st Street N. / 25th Street N. – Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex
128.257206.410128 SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street)
129.621208.605129Airport Boulevard
130.301209.699130A
I-59 north – Gadsden
Eastern end of I-59 concurrency; I-59 exit 130
130.571210.134130 US 11 / SR 7 (1st Avenue North)Eastbound exits and westbound entrance; signed as exits 130A (south) and 130B (north)
130B
1st Avenue South to US 11 (SR 7)
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
132.416213.103132AOporto-Madrid BoulevardWestbound exit and eastbound entrance via exit 132
132.738213.621132BMontevallo RoadSigned as exit 132 westbound
Irondale133.847215.406133 US 78 (SR 4) / Kilgore Memorial Drive
136.308219.366135
Old Leeds Road to US 78 (SR 4)
137.027220.524136 I-459 – Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, GadsdenI-459 exit 29
Leeds140.108225.482140 US 78 (SR 4) – Leeds
St. ClairLeedsMoody line144.546232.624144 US 411 (SR 25) – Leeds, Moody, OdenvilleSigned as exits 144A (south) and 144B (north)
Moody147.300237.056147MoodyAccess via Kelley Creek Road
152.140244.846152Cook Springs
Chulavista153.733247.409153
US 78 west (SR 4 west) – Chula Vista
Western end of US 78/SR 4 concurrency
Pell City156.564251.965156
US 78 east (SR 4 east) – Eden, Pell City, Odenville
Eastern end of US 78/SR 4 concurrency
158.817255.591158 US 231 (SR 53) – Ashville, Pell City
Riverside162.913262.183162 US 78 (SR 4) – Riverside, Pell City
Coosa River164.748265.136Bridge
TalladegaLincoln165.094265.693165CR 207 – Embry, Lincoln
168.108270.544168 SR 77 – Talladega, Lincoln
173.124278.616173 CR 5 – Eastaboga
Oxford179.729289.246179
SR 202 east – Munford, Coldwater
Western terminus of SR 202
Calhoun185.537298.593185 SR 21 (Quintard Drive) – Oxford, Anniston, Jacksonville
188.034302.611188

US 431 north (SR 1 north) to US 78 (SR 4) – Oxford, Anniston
Northern end of US 431 concurrency
191.859308.767191
US 431 south (SR 1 south)

SR 301 north to US 78 (SR 4)
Southern end of US 431 concurrency
CleburneHeflin199.374320.861199 SR 9 (Almon Street) – Heflin, Hollis
205.054330.002205 SR 46 – Ranburne
Tallapoosa River209.312336.855Bridge
Abernathy210.268338.394210 CR 49 – Ranburne, Muscadine
214.778345.652
I-20 east (SR 402) – Atlanta
Continuation into Georgia
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ FHWA Route Log and Finder List U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration (2002). Accessed May 3, 2007.
  2. ^ "I-59/20 Bridge Closure: Detour Routes". WBRC. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
[edit]
KML is from Wikidata


Interstate 20
Previous state:
Mississippi
Alabama Next state:
Georgia