Interstate 59

Interstate 59 marker

Interstate 59
Route information
Length: 445.23 mi[1] (716.53 km)
Existed: 1960 – present
Major junctions
South end: I-10 / I-12 near Slidell, LA
 

US 98 in Hattiesburg, MS
US 84 in Laurel, MS
I-20 in Meridian, MS
US 82 in Tuscaloosa, AL
I65 in Birmingham, AL
I20 in Birmingham, AL

US 278 / US 431 in Gadsden, AL
North end: I24 in Wildwood, GA
Location
States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
Counties: LA: St. Tammany
MS: Pearl River, Lamar, Forrest, Jones, Jasper, Clarke, Lauderdale
AL: Sumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, St. Clair, Etowah, DeKalb
GA: Dade
Highway system
SR 405GA SR 406SR 407

Interstate 59 (I-59) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a northeastern suburb of New Orleans, at its interchange with I-10 and I-12, and its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at its interchange with I-24. The highway's major purpose is to connect Chattanooga, Tennessee, and points north, with New Orleans via Birmingham, Alabama. Along its entire route, I-59 is parallel to U.S. Route 11 (US 11). I-59 is a four-lane freeway along its entire route except for some portions north of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and in the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area, where it is several lanes wider.

About a third of the entire route overlaps with Interstate 20 between Birmingham, Alabama and Meridian, Mississippi.

Route description

Lengths
  mikm
LA 11 18
MS 171.716 276.350
AL 241 388
GA 20.57 33.27
Total 444 715

Louisiana

At the bottom of I-12's eastbound ramp to LA 59, travelers also find a shield for the unrelated I-59, some 20 miles (32 km) farther east

In the U.S. state of Louisiana, I-59 is shorter than it is in any other state: Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. From south-to-north, I-59 begins at its junction with I-10 and I-12 near Slidell. Then it bypasses Pearl River before crossing the West Pearl River and then the East Pearl River. At the East Pearl River, I-59 leaves St. Tammany Parish and it enters Pearl River County, Mississippi.

Mississippi

In Mississippi, I-59 continues to run parallel with US 11, traversing mainly rural areas, but going through or bypassing the towns of Picayune, Poplarville, Hattiesburg, Ellisville, Moselle, Laurel, and Meridian.

For its length in Mississippi, I-59 either travels concurrent with, or runs close to, US 11. Between the towns of Pearl River and Picayune, US 11 travels concurrent with I-59. The highway also has concurrencies with US 98 in Hattiesburg; US 84 and Mississippi Highway 15 (MS 15) in Laurel, and US 80, US 11, and MS 19 in the Meridian area.

A notoriously sharp S-curve, at milepost 96 in Laurel, was the subject of a large reconstruction project. Those sharp curves were the legacy of an overpass over the Southern Railway on a town bypass with design dating from before the Interstate Highways, and they featured a 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit, one of the lowest anywhere on the Interstate Highway System. This work was completed in 2009.

A stretch of I-59 in Mississippi

Just west of Meridian, I-20 joins I-59 and these two highways continue together for 145 miles (233 km), across the border with Alabama to and through Birmingham. The exit numbers are given as those of I-59.

At 4:00 p.m. on August 27, 2005, for the first time in its history, the southbound lanes of I-59 were temporarily redirected northward to accommodate evacuation for Hurricane Katrina. This was a previously agreed to joint plan by the states of Mississippi and Louisiana called contraflow lane reversal. The program began at the Louisiana–Mississippi state line and continued 21 miles (34 km) north to Poplarville.

Alabama

I-59 (co-signed with I-20) approaching I-65 in downtown Birmingham

I-59 and I-20 travel together for about 40 percent of their route through Alabama, passing northeast through Tuscaloosa before finally parting ways in eastern Birmingham.

In Birmingham, many wrecks and accidents occur near the cross-over interchange of I-20/I-59 and I-65(commonly called "Malfunction Junction"). On two occasions, 18-wheelers crashed and burned fiercely enough to melt the support beams of overpasses. Beginning in eastern Birmingham, I-59 continues on its own northeast, passing by Gadsden and Fort Payne in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, before entering Georgia.

I-59 from Gadsden at mile marker 182 to Stephen's Gap at mile marker 193 had degraded over the decades since it was opened into a rough concrete highway. Between 2010 and 2014, a construction project called "Project 59" took place between Gadsden and Fort Payne. This project consisted of reconstructing the Interstate Highway with unbonded concrete (without any space cracks) as well as modifications to the width and vertical clearance of the bridges and overpasses in the segment.

Georgia

I-59 has a short trek through Georgia, with only three exits before ending at I-24 several miles west of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Wildwood, Georgia. During this stretch, the highway is also designated as Georgia State Route 406 for internal Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) purposes.[2]

Exit list

StateParish/CountyLocationmi[3][4][5]kmExitDestinationsNotes
LouisianaSt. TammanySlidell0.00.01A I-12 west HammondSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
0.20.321B I-10 east Bay St. LouisSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
0.30.481C I-10 west New OrleansSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
3.35.33 US 11 south / LA 1090 south Pearl RiverSouth end of US 11 concurrency
Pearl River5.18.25A LA 3081 Pearl River
6.19.85BHoney Island Swamp
11.518.511Pearl River Turnaround
Pearl River11.8
0.0
19.0
0.0
Louisiana–Mississippi state line
MississippiPearl River1 US 11 north / MS 607 south Nicholson, NASA John C. Stennis Space CenterNorth end of US 11 concurrency
Picayune4 MS 43 south Picayune, KilnSouth end of MS 43 concurrency
6 MS 43 north North PicayuneNorth end of MS 43 concurrency
10Carriere
15McNeill
19Millard
27 MS 53 Necaise, Poplarville
29 MS 26 Poplarville, Wiggins
35Hillsdale Road
Lumberton41 MS 13 Lumberton
LamarPurvis51 MS 589 Purvis
Forrest59 US 98 east Lucedale, MobileSouth end of US 98 concurrency
6198 US 11 South Hattiesburg, Downtown Hattiesburg
LamarHattiesburg65 US 98 west (MS 198 east) / Hardy Street ColumbiaNorth end of US 98 concurrency; signed as exits 65A (MS 198) and 65B (US 98) northbound
Forrest67 US 49 / MS 42 west Hattiesburg, JacksonSouth end of MS 42 concurrency; signed as exits 67A (south) and 67B (north)
69 MS 42 east (Evelyn Gandy Parkway) PetalNorth end of MS 42 concurrency
73Monroe Road
Jones76Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport
78Sanford Road
80Moselle
85 MS 590 Ellisville
Ellisville88 MS 29 / MS 588 Ellisville
90 US 11 (Ellisville Boulevard)
Laurel93 US 11 South Laurel
95 US 84 west / MS 15 north (16th Avenue)South end of US 84/MS 15 concurrency; signed as exits 95A (south) and 95B (north)
95CBeacon StreetLaurel S-curve southbound
96A4th Avenue, Masonite Road
96B MS 15 south (Cook Avenue) RichtonNorth end of MS 15 concurrency
97 US 84 east (Chantilly Street) WaynesboroNorth end of US 84 concurrency
99 US 11
104Sandersville
Jasper113 MS 528 Heidelberg, Bay Springs
118Vossburg, Paulding
Clarke126 MS 18 Rose Hill, Pachuta
134 MS 513 South Enterprise, Rose Hill
137North Enterprise
Lauderdale142Savoy
149 I-20 west / US 80 west JacksonSouth end of I-20/US 80 concurrency
Meridian150 US 11 south / MS 19 north Philadelphia, Meridian AirportSouth end of US 11/MS 19 concurrency
151Valley Road, 49th Avenue
15229th Avenue
153 MS 145 south (22nd Avenue) Quitman
154 US 11 north / US 80 east / MS 19 south / MS 39 north De Kalb, ButlerNorth end of US 11/US 80/MS 19 concurrency; signed as exits 154A (south) and 154B (north) northbound
156Jimmie Rodgers Pkwy
157 US 45 Quitman, MaconSigned as exits 157A (south) and 157B (north)
160Russell
165Toomsuba
169 US 11 / US 80 Kewanee
 Mississippi–Alabama state line
AlabamaSumter0.8041.2941 To US 80 east Cuba, Demopolis
8.04112.9418 SR 17 York
17.05927.45417 SR 28 Livingston, Boyd
23.14137.24223 CR 20 Gainesville, Epes
Greene32.22951.86832Boligee
40.76665.60740 SR 14 Aliceville, Eutaw
45.33472.95845Union
52.24484.07952 US 11 / US 43 Knoxville
Tuscaloosa62.466100.52962 SR 300 Fosters
Tuscaloosa68.083109.56968Northport Tuscaloosa Western Bypass
71.367114.85471 I359 north / SR 69 Tuscaloosa, MoundvilleSigned as exts 71A (south) and 71B (north)
73.003117.48773 US 82 (McFarland Boulevard)
75.961122.24776 US 11 Cottondale, East Tuscaloosa
77.102124.08477Cottondale
79.895128.57979 US 11 Coaling, Cottondale
86.295138.87886Brookwood, Vance
89.253143.63989Mercedes Drive
97.138156.32897 US 11 south / SR 5 south West Blocton, CentrevilleSouth end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
100.292161.404100Abernant, BucksvilleUnsigned eastern terminus for AL-216
Jefferson104.159167.628104Rock Mountain LakeMcAshan Drive
106.201170.914106 I459 north Gadsden, Montgomery, AtlantaSouthern terminus of I-459
Bessemer108.396174.446108 US 11 north / SR 5 north (Academy Drive)North end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
110.021177.062110Alabama Adventure Parkway
112.341180.79511218th Street, 19th Street
113.280182.30611318th Avenue
115.520185.911115Allison–Bonnet Memorial Drive, Jaybird Road
Fairfield118.304190.392118Valley Road Fairfield
Birmingham119.025191.552119Lloyd Nolan ParkwaySigned as exit 119A southbound
119.727192.682119BAvenue ISouthbound exit and northbound entrance
120.934194.624120 SR 269 (20th Street) / Ensley Avenue
121.238195.114121Bush BoulevardSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
123.374198.551123 US 78 (Arkadelphia Road) Jasper
124.740200.750124 I65 Montgomery, HuntsvilleSigned as exits 124A (south) and 124B (north)
125.221201.524125A17th Street Downtown BirminghamNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
125.639202.196125B22nd Street Downtown BirminghamSigned as exit 125 southbound
126.239203.162126A US 31 (11th Avenue North) / US 280 east / Carraway Boulevard Civic CenterWestern terminus of US 280
126.825204.105126B31st Street North
128.257206.410128 SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street)
129Airport Boulevard
130.301209.699130 I20 east AtlantaNorth end of I-20 concurrency
131Oporto–Madrid BoulevardNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
132.214212.778132 US 11 (1st Avenue North)No access from I-59 north to US 11 south, from US 11 south to I-59 north, or from US 11 north to I-59 south
1334th Avenue SouthNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
134.383216.268134 To SR 75 (Roebuck Parkway) Center Point
Trussville137.202220.805137 I459 south Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, AtlantaNorthern terminus of I-459
141Trussville, Pinson
143.647231.177143Deerfoot Parkway, Mount Olive Church Road
147 I422 southProposed interchange
148 To US 11 Argo
Saint Clair153.911247.696154 SR 174 Odenville, Springville
156.178251.344156 SR 23 Springville, Ashville, St Clair Springs
166.322267.669166 US 231 Ashville, Oneonta
173.650279.463174Steele
EtowahAttalla181.294291.764181 SR 77 Attalla, Rainbow City
Attalla182.058292.994182 I759 east GadsdenWestern terminus of I-759
183.030294.558183 US 278 (SR-74) / US 431 (SR-1/5th Avenue) Attalla, Gadsden
Gadsden188.082302.689188 SR 211 to US 11 Noccalula Falls Park
DeKalb205.148330.154205 SR 68 Collinsville, Crossville
218.654351.890218 SR 35 Fort Payne, Rainsville
222.152357.519222 US 11 Fort Payne
22449th Street
231.419372.433231 SR 40 / SR 117 Valley Head, Hammondville
239.642385.666239 To US 11 / Sulphur Springs Road
 241.179
0.0
388.140
0.0
Alabama–Georgia state line
GeorgiaDade4.16.64Rising FawnOld exit 1
Trenton11.518.511 SR 136 TrentonOld exit 2
17.327.817Slygo Road – New EnglandOld exit 3
19.531.4 I24 Nashville, ChattanoogaNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

See also

References

  1. Federal Highway Administration (October 31, 2002). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate & Defense Highways". Route Log and Finder List. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration.
  2. Office of Transportation Data (2003). "Interstate Mileage Report (438 Report)" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation.
  3. "Highway Overview Map of Interstate 59 in Louisiana". Google Maps. September 12, 2016.
  4. . October 27, 2016 https://aldotgis.dot.state.al.us/milepostmaps/default.htm. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "Overview Map of Interstate 59 in Georgia". Google Maps. Retrieved September 12, 2016.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

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