| Interstate 65 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ALDOT | ||||
| Length: | 367 mi (590.63 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | I-10 in Mobile | |||
| 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 |
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| North end: | I-65 at Tennessee state line | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Main route of the Interstate Highway System
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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.
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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.
| County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | Mobile | 0A-B | 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 | ||||
| Chickasaw | 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 | 164 | US-31 (SR-3) – Pintlala, Hope Hull | |||
| Montgomery | 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 | |||||
| 173 | To US-231 (North Boulevard) | ||||
| Elmore | |||||
| Millbrook | 176 | SR-143 – Millbrook, Coosada | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| Millbrook/Prattville | 179 | US-82 west (SR-6 west) / to Montgomery Toll Road – Millbrook, Prattville | North end of US-82/SR-6 overlap | ||
| Prattville | 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 | Peach Tower exit | |||
| 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 | Tank Farm exit | ||
| 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) (northbound), 6th Avenue South (southbound) | 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 | Daniel Payne Drive | ||||
| Fultondale | 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-Browns Ferry 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 | ||||
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| Interstate 65 | ||
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| Previous state: Terminus |
Alabama | Next state: Tennessee |
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