Interstate 22

Interstate 22
Interstate 22 highlighted in red.
Route information
Length:	213.0 mi[1] (342.8 km)
Existed:	2012 (2012)[2] – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 78 near Byhalia, MS
	US 45 in Tupelo, MS US 43 / US 278 / SR 171 in Hamilton, AL US 78 / SR 5 in Graysville, AL
East end:	I‑65 near Birmingham, AL
Location
States:	Mississippi, Alabama
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Mississippi State Highway System Interstate US State Alabama Highways Interstate US State ← MS 21 MS MS 22 → ← SR 21 AL SR 22 →

Interstate 22 (I-22) is an Interstate Highway that follows the U.S. Route 78 (US 78) corridor on a 213-mile-long (343 km) route from Byhalia, Mississippi south of Memphis, Tennessee, to Birmingham, Alabama.^[1] I-22 indirectly connects I-240, I-40, I-55, and I-69 in the northwest with I-65 and I-20/I-59 in the southeast. When designated in 2012, it was designed to close a gap in the Interstate network allowing more direct connections between cities in the southeast (such as Atlanta and Birmingham) with those of the Great Plains (such as Oklahoma City and St. Louis).

Along its way through the two states, I-22 serves the towns of Jasper, Winfield, and Hamilton, Alabama and Fulton, Tupelo, New Albany, and Holly Springs, Mississippi. All portions of this highway were either built new or converted to Interstate Highway standards as of early 2011. A future interchange with I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi is the western terminus of I-22. The eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Jefferson County, north of Birmingham.

Route description

I-22 serves as a connection between Birmingham and suburban Memphis, filling in a gap in the Interstate Highway System. It begins at future planned interchange with the proposed extension of I-269 at Byhalia approximately forty miles from downtown Memphis and travels southeast across northern Mississippi and Alabama, before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately five miles north of downtown Birmingham. While I-22 itself does not continue past I-269 to Memphis, some theorize that an I-22 spur route may be named along the existing US 78 from I-269 northwest to the Tennessee state line, creating a better connection.

Mississippi

Eastbound I-22 in Potts Camp

I-22 begins at a future planned interchange with the proposed extension of I-269 at Byhalia and travels across rural areas, connecting together towns such as Fulton, Tupelo, New Albany, and Holly Springs.

Alabama

Corridor X ADHS shields in Marion County

I-22 continues across rural areas in Alabama, and connects the towns of Jasper, Winfield, and Hamilton before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately five miles north of downtown Birmingham.

History

The concept of a Memphis-to-Birmingham expressway was discussed as early as the 1950s, but did not move beyond talk for more than 20 years.^[3]

When I-22 studies began, I-22 was proposed to continue west into downtown Memphis, Tennessee and end at Interstate 240 and Interstate 69. Several other proposals were also put in place. One took I-22 along I-269 to I-55/I-69, but those plans also never materialized. Another took it along Crump Boulevard to end at Interstate 55, however, these plans never materialized.

The part of I-22 just east of Fulton, Mississippi, was approved by Congress as "Corridor X" in 1978, as a part of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and parts of I-22 have been under construction ever since.^[4] Corridor X was also designated as "High Priority Corridor 10" in the Federal National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, and as "High Priority Corridor 45" in later legislation.^[5] Over the many years of development, the project changed multiple times.

In 2004, Corridor X was designated as Future I-22 by Public Law Number 108-199,^[6] and the designation was made official on April 18, 2005.^[7] In Alabama and Mississippi, blue signs reading "FUTURE/I-22/CORRIDOR" at left and an I-22 shield with "FUTURE" instead of "INTERSTATE" at the right were unveiled on April 18, 2005.^[7]

The first major completed section of the route between the Mississippi state line and Jasper was opened to traffic on November 22, 2005.^[8] Exits on the Jasper Bypass portion of I-22 were originally numbered using a kilometer-based sequence because at the time this stretch was opened it appeared that all highways in the U.S. were going to be measured using the metric system. The final decision was made to remain using miles, and they have been renumbered according to the highway's mileposts. A six-mile (9.7 km) segment between Graysville and Brookside was opened in June 2007,^[9] and another 20-mile (32 km) section of Future I-22 between Jasper and Graysville was opened in November 2007.^[10] A 1.8-mile (2.9 km) segment between Cherry Avenue in Forestdale to a point about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) short of I-65 near Fultondale, including an interchange with Coalburg Road, was opened in December 2009.^[11] Next came the connection of I-22 with I-65 and US 31.^[11] The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) widened Coalburg Road from its interchange with I-22 southward to Daniel Payne Drive (which leads to I-65) to allow heavy trucks to use it; this project was nearly complete as of May 2015.^[12] Signs are now in place on Daniel Payne Drive (westbound) informing truckers that access to I-22 is not allowed from Daniel Payne Drive.

ALDOT was to award contracts in August 2009 for the construction of the final segment of I-22, including its large interchange with I-65 and US 31, with the construction to begin shortly afterwards. Funding delays postponed these into 2010, however. On March 19, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the HIRE (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment) Act into law, which included an extension of federal highway funding through the end of 2010. This extension gave the ALDOT the opportunity to proceed with its plans for the construction of final segment of I-22 in Alabama. The opening of the bids for this project began on May 21, 2010. ALDOT announced on June 16, 2010, that the project has been awarded to the company Archer Western Contractors for $168.6 million.^[13] The project is the most expensive highway project ever undertaken in Jefferson County, and it is the highest-priced contract awarded by the ALDOT as of 2010.^[14]

In April 2013, the first actual Interstate 22 shields were deployed in Marion County, Alabama, immediately east of the Mississippi state line. Such signage will extend east at least through Walker County into the outskirts of Birmingham.^[15]

On August 21, 2014, ALDOT reported that I-22's interchange with I-65 would not be completed until October 2015.^[16] The interchange's connections via exit 95 to I-65 and the continuation over I-65 as exit 95C at US 31 remained under construction. In March 2016, the intersection with I-65 and continuation to US 31 was still under construction. New lanes north and south bound were opened on I-65 passing through the interchange and construction and painting operations were carried out on the I-22 entrance and exit ramps.^[17] The interchange to I-65 opened to traffic on June 20, 2016, while the connector to US 31 remained under construction.^[18]

Mississippi officials announced May 5, 2015 that the state officially began the process to designate its portion as I-22. The two requirements to be able to apply for this designation were to upgrade the route to interstate standards and to connect to an existing interstate within 25 years; this will be completed once I-269 is opened in 2018. The I-65 interchange was opened in October 2015.^[19] The route was officially signed in Mississippi in a ceremony on October 23, 2015.^[20]

Exit list

State	County	Location	mi[1][21]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Mississippi	DeSoto	​	0.0	0.0	—	US 78 west – Memphis	Continuation as US 78; western end of US 78 overlap
		Byhalia			12	I-269 / MS 304 – Tunica, Collierville	Memphis Outer Beltway, currently under construction, will be exits 16A-B; to be numbered as exits 12A (south) and 12B (north).[22]
	Marshall		2.4	3.9	14	MS 309 – Byhalia
		​	6.6	10.6	18	Victoria, East Byhalia
		​	9.8	15.8	21	Red Banks
		Holly Springs	14.4	23.2	26	MS 4 / MS 7 – Holly Springs	Access to Mount Pleasant via MS 311 north, MS 4 and MS 7 now bypass the downtown area of Holly Springs
			18.5	29.8	30	MS 4 / MS 7 – Holly Springs, Oxford	Access to Senatobia via MS 7
		​	25.5	41.0	37	Lake Center
		Potts Camp	29.6	47.6	41	To MS 349 – Potts Camp
	Benton	Hickory Flat	36.4	58.6	48	MS 178 – Hickory Flat	Access to MS 2 and MS 5
	Union	Myrtle	42.9	69.0	55	Myrtle
		New Albany	48.6	78.2	60	Glenfield	Connector to MS 30 and to a Wal-Mart distribution center
			49.6	79.8	61	MS 30 west – West New Albany, Mississippi, Oxford	Western end of MS 30 overlap
			51.0	82.1	63	Downtown New Albany
					64	MS 15 / MS 30 east – Pontotoc, Ripley	Eastern end of MS 30 overlap
			61.2	98.5	73	MS 9 north – Blue Springs	Western end of MS 9 overlap; signed as exits 73A and 73B
	Pontotoc	Sherman	64.8	104.3	76	MS 9 south (MS 178) – Sherman, Pontotoc	Eastern end of MS 9 overlap
	Lee	Tupelo	69.0	111.0	81	MS 178 (McCullough Boulevard) – West Tupelo
			70.3	113.1	82	Coley Road / Barnes Crossing Road
			72.9	117.3	85	Natchez Trace Parkway
			74.3	119.6	86	US 45 (Corridor V west) – Tupelo, Corinth	Western end of Corridor V overlap; signed as exits 86A (south) and 86B (north)
			75.8	122.0	87	Veterans Boulevard	Access to Elvis Presley birthplace
		​	78.1	125.7	90	Auburn Road
		​	82.2	132.3	94	MS 371 – Mantachie, Mooreville
	Itawamba	​	85.3	137.3	97	Fawn Grove Road – Dorsey
		​	88.8	142.9	101	MS 178 / MS 363 – Peppertown, Mantachie
		Fulton	92.9	149.5	104	MS 25 south – Fulton, Amory	Western end of MS 25 overlap, MS 178 resumes eastbound in downtown Fulton
		​	96.6	155.5	108	MS 25 north (Corridor V east) – Belmont, Iuka Corridor X ends	Eastern end of MS 25/Corridor V overlap; western end of Corridor X overlap
		Tremont	101.4	163.2	113	MS 23 – Tremont, Smithville	MS 178 terminates eastbound at intersection with MS 23 just north of Corridor X
			106.0 0.00	170.6 0.00	Mississippi–Alabama state line
Alabama	Marion	​	3.93	6.32	3	CR 33 – Bexar
		Hamilton	7.80	12.55	7	CR 94 to SR 74 – Weston, Hamilton	Provides access to US-278 east and to SR 19 Red Bay
			11.45	18.43	11	SR 17 – Hamilton, Sulligent	Also connects to SR 19
			14.46	23.27	14	CR 35 – Hamilton
			16.91	27.21	16	US 43 / US 278 / SR 171 – Hamilton, Guin
		​	22.52	36.24	22	CR 45
		​	26.24	42.23	26	SR 44 – Brilliant, Guin	Also serves the community of Twin
		Winfield	29.92	48.15	30	SR 129 – Brilliant, Winfield
		​	34.38	55.33	34	SR 233 – Glen Allen, Natural Bridge
	Walker	​	39.62	63.76	39	SR 13 – Natural Bridge, Eldridge	Also access to Fayette and Tuscaloosa via SR 13 south
		Carbon Hill	46.87	75.43	46	CR 11 – Carbon Hill, Nauvoo
		​	51.83	83.41	52	SR 118 – Carbon Hill
		​	53.47	86.05	53	(no name)	Proposed SR 102; exit number not signed
		Jasper	57.40	92.38	57	SR 118 east – Jasper
			60.54	97.43	61	SR 69 – Jasper, Tuscaloosa	Old exit 96
			62.75	100.99	63	SR 269 – Jasper, Parrish	Old exit 101
			65.26	105.03	65	Industrial Parkway – Jasper	Old exit 104
		​	70.03	112.70	70	CR 22 – Cordova, Parrish
		​	71.99	115.86	72	CR 61 – Cordova
		​	78.36	126.11	78	CR 81 – Dora, Sumiton
	Jefferson	West Jefferson	80.75	129.95	81	CR 45 – West Jefferson	Alabama Power Miller Steam Plant access (coal fired electric power plant)
		Graysville	85.24	137.18	85	US 78 east / SR 5 – Birmingham, Adamsville, Graysville	Eastern end of US 78 Overlap
					86	I‑222 north to I‑422	Proposed interchange; proposed southern terminus of I-222
			87.26	140.43	87	CR 112 – Graysville
		Forestdale	88.99	143.22	89	CR 65 (Hillcrest Road) – Adamsville, Graysville
			91.75	147.66	91	CR 105 (Cherry Avenue) – Brookside, Forestdale
		Birmingham	93.60	150.63	93	CR 77 – Coalburg	Directional signs on exit ramp north to Coalburg and south to Birmingham
			96.48	155.27	95	I‑65 – Montgomery, Huntsville	I-65 exit 265A; signed as exits 95A (north) and 95B (south)
					95C	US 31 – Montgomery, Decatur	Under construction; future eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

Auxiliary routes

Interstate 222

Interstate 222 (I-222) is a future Auxiliary Interstate Highway to be a connector between I-22/US 78 and the proposed I-422 near Birmingham, Alabama. There will be no exits other than its termini. The highway has been proposed because an interchange directly between I-22 and I-422 cannot be built because of environmental issues. AASHTO approved the designation on May 18, 2012.^[23] Construction on this new route has not been scheduled at this time.

Interstate 422

Interstate 422 (I-422) is a future northwestern bypass of Birmingham, connecting between I-20/I-59, from the southwest, and I-59, in the northeast. It will also be connected with I-22 via I-222, in Brookside, located northwest of Birmingham. It was first proposed in May 2009 by U.S. Congressman Spencer Bachus; on May 18, 2012, it was approved by AASHTO.^[23][24]

See also

References

External links

• Interstate Guide Profile for Interstate 22