Interstate 565

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Interstate 565
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System

Length:

34 km (21 mi)

Formed:

1991

West end:

I-65/ALT US 72/AL 20 in Decatur, AL

Major
junctions:

Madison Boulevard (fmr AL 20)

AL 255 in Huntsville

AL 53 in Huntsville

US 231/US 431 in Huntsville

US 72 in Huntsville

East end:

US 72 in Huntsville, AL

I-459

SR 759

Interstate 565 (abbreviated I-565) is a 21-mile (34 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 city of Decatur, town of 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. Route 72 Alternate also follows this entire route of I-565.

1 History
2 Future plans
3 Exits
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 most 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.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] Four teenage girls were killed in the accident. See 2006 Huntsville bus accident.

[edit] Future plans

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. Plans are also in place to extend I-565 west from the junction of I-65 along the route of Alabama Highway 20 and Alternate U.S. 72 to the junction with U.S. 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. ^[4] I-565 is planned to connect Memphis, Tennessee with Atlanta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee as part of ISTEA High Priority Corridor 7.

[edit] Exits

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
ends. continue.
Limestone	Decatur	0	0	AL 20 west/ALT US 72 west
		1	1A	I-65 south - Birmingham
		1	1B	I-65 north - Nashville
	Huntsville	2	2	Mooresville Rd.
		3	3	Greenbrier Rd.
		5	5	Madison Boulevard	Eastbound exit only, AL 20 leaves eastbound and joins westbound
Madison		7	7	Huntsville International Airport
		8	8	Wall Triana Highway
		13	13	Madison Boulevard	Westbound exit only, AL 20 joins eastbound and leaves westbound
		14	14A	Rideout Rd.	Redstone Arsenal Gate 9
		14	14B	AL 255 (Research Park Boulevard)
		15	15A	Old Madison Pike	US Space & Rocket Center
		15	15B	Sparkman Dr.
		17	17A	Jordan Lane	Westbound- access to Governors Dr.
		17	17B	Governors Dr.	Eastbound exit only, AL 20 leaves eastbound and joins westbound
		19	19A	US 231/US 431/AL 53 south (Memorial Parkway)
			19B	US 231/US 431/AL 53 north (Memorial Parkway)
			19C	Washington St.; Jefferson St. - Downtown	Westbound exits to Pratt Ave.
		20	20	Oakwood Ave.
		21	21	US 72
ends. continues.

[edit] References

^ Faulk, Ken. "Bus crash kills 3 students." The Birmingham News November 21, 2006. [1]
^ McCarter, Patricia C. "15 still hospitalized after horrific crash; parents beg for info." The Huntsville Times November 21, 2006. [2]
^ " Fourth teen dies in Alabama school bus crash." CNN.com. [3] November 21, 2006. Accessed November 21, 2006.
^ http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS/701210345/1011