Interstate 59

Interstate 59
Route information
Length: 445.23 mi[1] (716.53 km)
Existed: 1960-Present – 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
I-65 in Birmingham, AL
I-20 in Birmingham, AL
North end: I-24 in Wildwood, GA
Highway system

Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12,[2] its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.[3]

The road's major purpose was to connect Birmingham, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana. Throughout its entire route, Interstate 59 is parallel with U.S. 11. The road is four lanes the entire route except the portions north of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and in the Birmingham metro area.

Contents

Route description

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

Louisiana

In the U.S. state of Louisiana, Interstate 59 has the shortest mileage of all the states the highway traverses. Beginning at the junction of Interstates 10 and 12 near Slidell, it bypasses Pearl River before crossing the West Pearl River and later the East Pearl River. At the East Pearl River, I-59 leaves Saint Tammany Parish and enters Pearl River County, Mississippi.

Mississippi

In the Magnolia State, I-59 continues to parallel U.S. 11, traversing mainly rural areas, but going through or bypassing Picayune, Poplarville, Hattiesburg, Moselle, Laurel and Meridian.

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

A notoriously sharp S-curve, at mi.96, in Laurel was the subject of a large reconstruction project. The infamous curves are the legacy of an overpass over the Southern Railway on a town by-pass with pre-interstate freeway design, and feature a 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit, one of the lowest anywhere on a US interstate highway. This work was completed in 2009.

Just west of Meridian, Interstate 20 joins I-59 and the two highways continue together for 145 miles (233 km), across the Alabama border and to Birmingham. The exit numbers default to I-59's.

At 4:00 p.m. on August 27, 2005, for the first time in its history, the southbound lanes of Interstate 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 Mississippi-Louisiana state border and continued 21 miles (33 km) north to Poplarville.

The Mississippi section of I-59 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Alabama

Interstates 59 and 20 are conjoined for much of their route through Alabama, passing northeastward through Tuscaloosa before finally parting ways in eastern Birmingham.

In Birmingham, many wrecks and accidents occur near the cross-over interchange of I-20/59 and Interstate 65. On two occasions, 18-wheelers crashed and burned fiercely enough to melt the support beams of overpasses. Because of the frequent and severe wrecks, this interchange is nicknamed "Malfunction Junction". From Birmingham, I-59 continues northeastward near Gadsden and Fort Payne before entering Georgia.

Georgia

Interstate 59 has a very short trek through the Peach State, having only three exits before coming to an end at Interstate 24 several miles west of Chattanooga, Tennessee in Wildwood. During the entire length, the highway is designated State Route 406 but is not signed as such.[4] Interstate 59 from Gadsden at mile marker 182 to Stephen's Gap at mile marker 193 is rough roadway. Beginning in 2010, over the next two years, a construction project called "Project 59" will be carried out to pave the roadway. An alternate route is U.S. 11; which follows alongside I-59 for its entire route. The project consists of paving the interstate with unbonded concrete (cement without any space cracks) and also the raising and widening of bridges and overpasses. Also, exit 188 (Noccalula Falls/Reece City) will have some closures. Speed limits will be strictly enforced through the construction zone and on U.S. 11.

Major intersections

Exit List

Louisiana

The entire route is located in St. Tammany Parish.

Location # Destinations Notes
Slidell 1A I-12 west – Hammond Southbound exit and northbound entrance
0 I-10 east – Bay St. Louis Southbound exit and northbound entrance
I-10 west – New Orleans Southbound exit and northbound entrance
3 US 11 south / LA 1090 south – Pearl River South end of US 11 overlap
Pearl River 5A
LA 41 Spur – Pearl River
5B Honey Island Swamp
11 Pearl River Turnaround
Crosses over the Pearl River into Mississippi
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Mississippi

County Location # Destinations Notes
Pearl River 1 US 11 north / MS 607 south – Nicholson, Stennis Space Center North end of US 11 overlap
Picayune 4 MS 43 south – Picayune, Kiln South end of MS 43 overlap
6 MS 43 north – North Picayune North end of MS 43 overlap
10 Carriere
15 McNeil
19 Millard
27 MS 53 – Necaise, Poplarville
29 MS 26 – Poplarville, Wiggins
35 Hillsdale Road
Lumberton 41 MS 13 – Lumberton
Lamar Purvis 51 MS 589 – Purvis
Forrest 59 US 98 east – Lucedale, Mobile South end of US 98 overlap
60 US 11 – South Hattiesburg
Lamar Hattiesburg 65 US 98 west (MS 198 east) / Hardy Street – Columbia North end of US 98 overlap; signed as Exit 65A (Hwy 198) and 65B (US 98) northbound
Forrest 67 US 49 / MS 42 west – Hattiesburg, Jackson Signed as Exit 67A (south) and 67B (north); South end of MS 42 overlap
69 MS 42 east (Evelyn Gandy Parkway) – Petal North end of MS 42 overlap
73 Monroe Street
Jones 76 Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport
78 Sanford Road
80 Moselle
85 MS 590 – Ellisville
Ellisville 88 MS 29 – Ellisville
90 US 11 (Ellisville Boulevard)
Laurel 93 US 11 – South Laurel
95 US 84 west / MS 15 north (16th Avenue) South end of US 84 / SH 15 overlap; signed as exits 95A (south) and 95B (north)
96A 4th Avenue, Masonite Road
96B MS 15 south (Cook Avenue) North end of SH 15 overlap
97 US 84 east (Chantilly Street) – Waynesboro North end of US 84
99 US 11 (Ellisville Blvd)
104 Sandersville
Jasper 113 MS 528 – Heidelberg, Bay Springs
118 Vossburg, Paulding
Clarke 126 MS 18 – Rose Hill, Pachuta
134 MS 513 – South Enterprise
137 North Enterprise
Lauderdale 142 Savoy
149 I-20 west (US 80 west) – Jackson South end of I-20 / US 80 overlap
Meridian 150 US 11 south / MS 19 north – Philadelphia, Airport South end of US 11 / SH 19 overlap
151 Valley Road, 49th Avenue
152 29th Avenue
153 MS 145 south (22nd Avenue) – Quitman
154 MS 19 south / MS 39 north (US 11 north / US 80 east) – De Kalb, Butler North end of US 11 / US 80 / SH 19 overlap; signed as exits 154A (south) and 154B (north) northbound
157 US 45 – Quitman, Macon Signed as exits 157A (south) and 157B (north)
160 Russell
165 Toomsoba
169 US 11 / US 80 – Kewanee
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Alabama

County Location # Destinations Notes
Sumter 1 To US-80 east – Cuba, Demopolis
8 SR-17 – York
17 SR-28 – Livingston, Boyd
23 CR-20 – Gainesville, Epes
Greene 32 Boligee
40 SR-14 – Aliceville, Eutaw
45 Union
52 US-11 / US-43 – Knoxville
Tuscaloosa 62 Fosters
Tuscaloosa 68 Northport Tuscaloosa Western Bypass
71 I-359 north / SR-69 – Tuscaloosa, Moundville Signed as exts 71A (south) and 71B (north)
73 US-82 (McFarland Boulevard)
76 US-11 – Cottondale, East Tuscaloosa
77 Cottondale
79 US-11 / SR-7 – Coaling, Cottondale
86 Brookwood, Vance
89 Mercedes Drive
97 US-11 south / SR-5 south – West Blocton, Centreville South end of US 11 / AL 5 overlap
100 Abernant, Bucksville
Jefferson 104 Rock Mountain Lake
106 I-459 – Gadsden, Montgomery, Atlanta
Bessemer 108 US-11 north / SR-5 north (Academy Drive) North end of US 11 / AL 5 overlap
110 Alabama Adventure Parkway
112 18th Street, 19th Street
113 18th Avenue
115 Allison–Bonnet Memorial Drive, Jaybird Road
Fairfield 118 Valley Road – Fairfield
Birmingham 119 RM Scrushy Parkway Signed as exit 119A southbound
119B Avenue I Southbound exit and northbound entrance
120 SR-269 (20th Street) / Ensley Avenue
121 Bush Boulevard – Bush Southbound exit and northbound entrance
123 US-78 (Arkadelphia Road) – Jasper
124 I-65 – Montgomery, Huntsville Signed as exits 124A (south) and 124B (north)
125A 17th Street – Downtown Birmingham Northbound exit and southbound entrance
125B 22nd Street – Downtown Birmingham Signed as exit 125 southbound
126A US-31 (11th Avenue North) / US-280 east / Carraway Boulevard – Civic Center
126B 31st Street North
128 SR-79 (Tallapoosa Street)
129 Airport Boulevard
130 I-20 east – Atlanta North end of I-20 overlap
131 Oporto–Madrid Boulevard Northbound exit and southbound entrance
132 US-11 (1st Avenue North)
133 4th Avenue South Northbound exit and southbound entrance
134 To SR-75 (Roebuck Parkway)
Trussville 137 I-459 – Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Atlanta
141 Trussville, Pinson
143 Deerfoot Parkway, Mount Olive Church Road
148 To US-11 – Argo
Saint Clair 154 SR-174 – Odenville, Springville
156 SR-23 – Ashville, St Clair Springs
166 US-231 – Ashville, Oneonta
174 Steele
Etowah Lester 181 SR-77 – Attalla, Rainbow City
Attalla 182 I-759 – Gadsden
183 US-278 / US-431 – Attalla, Gadsden
Gadsden 188 SR-211 to US-11 – Noccalula Falls Park
DeKalb 205 SR-68 – Collinsville, Crossville
Douglas 218 SR-35 – Fort Payne, Rainsville
222 US-11 – Fort Payne
231 SR-40 / SR-117 – Valley Head, Hammondville
239 To US-11 / Sulphur Springs Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Georgia

The entire route is in Dade County, Georgia.

Location # Destinations Notes
4 Rising Fawn
Trenton 11 SR 136 – Trenton
17 Slygo Road – New England
I-24 – Nashville, Chattanooga Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit is unnumbered
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

Auxiliary routes of Interstate 59
Alabama: 359 • 459 • 759

Anomaly

In Louisiana an I-59 shield can be found at an interchange that actually has little or nothing to do with I-59, which is some 20 miles east of the photograph. The I-59 shield disambiguates I-12 eastbound drivers who confuse I-59 with LA 59.

References

  1. ^ USDOT - Federal Highway Administration (October 31, 2002). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate & Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table1.cfm. 
  2. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Interstate 59 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Alton,+LA&ll=30.251950,-89.750061&sll=30.426177,-90.851440&spn=1.068347,1.440308&sspn=0.561293,0.758057&num=10&start=0&hl=en. Retrieved June 8, 2009.  )
  3. ^ Google, Inc. Google Maps – Interstate 59 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lookout+Mountain,+GA&ll=34.944207,-85.421791&spn=0.126726,0.180038&hl=en. Retrieved June 8, 2009. 
  4. ^ Georgia Deartment of Transportation, Office of Transportation Data (2003). Interstate Mileage Report (438 Report). http://www.dot.state.ga.us/DOT/plan-prog/transportation_data/400reports/2003/dpp438_2003.pdf. 
Main Interstate Highways (major interstates highlighted)
4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30
35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 68 69
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82
83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90
91 93 94 95 96 97 99 H-1 H-2 H-3
Unsigned  A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3
Lists  Primary  Main - Intrastate - Suffixed - Temporary - Future - Gaps
Auxiliary  Main - Future - Unsigned
Other  Standards - Business - Bypassed - Tolled
New Orleans Highways
Radial
Non-freeways
Other
Current
Future
Former
Current
Cancelled
Signed
Future
Cancelled
  • 310 (1964)
  • 410 (1955)
  • 410 (1969)
  • 410 (200?)
  • 420