Interstate 65 in Alabama

Interstate 65 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by Alabama DOT
Length:	367 mi[citation needed] (590.63 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 Alt. in Decatur
North end:	I-65 at Tennessee state 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 six of the state's ten largest cities. The highway links together many important roadways that make commerce inside and outside of the state's boundaries possible. The interstate exits at the Alabama/Tennessee state line, north of Athens.

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.

From mile marker 246 to 290 I-65 carries at least 6 lanes of traffic. 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.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	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
	General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge over the Mobile River and Tensaw River
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
Conecuh			77	SR-41 – Brewton, Repton
			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	Walker 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 the Wheeler Lake and 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
	Tanner		347	Huntsville Brownsferry Road
	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

Lane configurations

Total Mileage in Alabama-366.00 miles

• From Interstate 10 Exit 0 to Exit 13 (Saraland) (3-4 lanes each way, 4th lane exit only)
• From Exit 13 to Exit 167 U.S. Highway 80 west (Selma) (2 lanes each way)
• From Exit 167 to Exit 171 Interstate 85 (2 lanes each way, currently being widened to 3 lanes each way)
• From from Interstate 85 to exit 181 (Prattville)/(Wetumpka) (3 lanes each way)
• From Exit 181 to Exit 246 Cahaba Valley Road (Pelham) (2 lanes each way, there are plans to widen in Pelham area to 3 lanes each way)
• From Exit 246 to Exit 261 Interstate 20/Interstate 59 (3-4 lanes each way, 5 lanes at Malfunction Junction)
• From Exit 261 to Exit 264 41st Avenue (Birmingham) (3 lanes each way, currently being to 4 lanes each way in preparation for Interstate 22)
• From Exit 264 to Blount County/Cullman County line Mile marker 291 (3 lanes each way)
• From Mile marker 291 to Tennessee state line (2 lanes each way)

References

Interstate 65
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