Interstate 59

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Interstate 59 marker

Interstate 59
Route information
Length: 445.23 mi[1] (716.53 km)
Existed: 1960 – 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

US 278 / US 431 in Gadsden, AL
North end: I‑24 in Wildwood, GA
Location
States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
Counties: LA: St. Tammany Parish
MS: Pearl River, Lamar, Forrest, Jones, Jasper, Clarke, Lauderdale
AL: Sumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, St. Clair, Etowah, DeKalb
GA: Dade
Highway system
← SR 405 GA SR 406 SR 407 →

Interstate 59 (I-59) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a northeastern suburb of New Orleans, at its interchange with I-10 and I-12, and its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at its interchange with I-24. The highway's major purpose is to connect Chattanooga, Tennessee, and points north, with New Orleans via Birmingham, Alabama. Along its entire route, I-59 is parallel to U.S. Route 11 (US 11). I-59 is a four-lane freeway along its entire route except for some portions north of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and in the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area, where it is several lanes wider.

About a third of the entire route overlaps with Interstate 20 between Birmingham, Alabama and Meridian, Mississippi.

Route description[edit]

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

Louisiana[edit]

At the bottom of I-12's eastbound ramp to LA 59, travelers also find a shield for the unrelated I-59, some 20 miles (32 km) farther east

In the U.S. state of Louisiana, I-59 is shorter than it is in any other state: Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. From south-to-north, I-59 begins at its junction with I-10 and I-12 near Slidell. Then it bypasses Pearl River before crossing the West Pearl River and then the East Pearl River. At the East Pearl River, I-59 leaves St. Tammany Parish and it enters Pearl River County, Mississippi.

Mississippi[edit]

In Mississippi, I-59 continues to run parallel with US 11, traversing mainly rural areas, but going through or bypassing the towns of Picayune, Poplarville, Hattiesburg, Ellisville, Moselle, Laurel, and Meridian.

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

A notoriously sharp S-curve, at milepost 96 in Laurel, was the subject of a large reconstruction project. Those sharp curves were the legacy of an overpass over the Southern Railway on a town bypass with design dating from before the Interstate Highways, and they featured a 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit, one of the lowest anywhere on the Interstate Highway System. This work was completed in 2009.

A stretch of I-59 in Mississippi

Just west of Meridian, I-20 joins I-59 and these two highways continue together for 145 miles (233 km), across the border with Alabama to and through Birmingham. The exit numbers are given as those of I-59.

At 4:00 p.m. on August 27, 2005, for the first time in its history, the southbound lanes of I-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 Louisiana–Mississippi state line and continued 21 miles (34 km) north to Poplarville.

Alabama[edit]

I-59 (co-signed with I-20) approaching I-65 in downtown Birmingham

I-59 and I-20 travel together for about 40 percent of their route through Alabama, passing northeast through Tuscaloosa before finally parting ways in eastern Birmingham.

In Birmingham, many wrecks and accidents occur near the cross-over interchange of I-20/I-59 and I-65(commonly called "Malfunction Junction"). On two occasions, 18-wheelers crashed and burned fiercely enough to melt the support beams of overpasses. Beginning in eastern Birmingham, I-59 continues on its own northeast, passing by Gadsden and Fort Payne in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, before entering Georgia.

I-59 from Gadsden at mile marker 182 to Stephen's Gap at mile marker 193 had degraded over the decades since it was opened into a rough concrete highway. Between 2010 and 2014, a construction project called "Project 59" took place between Gadsden and Fort Payne. This project consisted of reconstructing the Interstate Highway with unbonded concrete (without any space cracks) as well as modifications to the width and vertical clearance of the bridges and overpasses in the segment.

Georgia[edit]

I-59 has a short trek through Georgia, with only three exits before ending at I-24 several miles west of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Wildwood, Georgia. Within Georgia it carries unsigned designated as State Route 406 (SR 406) for internal Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) purposes.[2]

Exit list[edit]

State Parish/County Location mi[3][4][5] km Exit Destinations Notes
Louisiana St. Tammany Slidell 0.0 0.0 1A I-12 west – Hammond Southbound exit and northbound entrance
0.2 0.32 1B I-10 east – Bay St. Louis Southbound exit and northbound entrance
0.3 0.48 1C I-10 west – New Orleans Southbound exit and northbound entrance
3.3 5.3 3 US 11 south / LA 1090 south – Pearl River South end of US 11 concurrency
Pearl River 5.1 8.2 5A LA 3081 – Pearl River
​ 6.1 9.8 5B Honey Island Swamp
​ 11.5 18.5 11 Pearl River Turnaround
Pearl River 11.8
0.0		 19.0
0.0		 Louisiana–Mississippi state line
Mississippi Pearl River ​ 1 US 11 north / MS 607 south – Nicholson, NASA John C. Stennis Space Center North end of US 11 concurrency
Picayune 4 MS 43 south – Picayune, Kiln South end of MS 43 concurrency
6 MS 43 north – North Picayune North end of MS 43 concurrency
​ 10 Carriere
​ 15 McNeill
​ 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 concurrency
​ 61 98 US 11 – South Hattiesburg, Downtown Hattiesburg
Lamar Hattiesburg 65 US 98 west (MS 198 east) / Hardy Street – Columbia North end of US 98 concurrency; signed as exits 65A (MS 198) and 65B (US 98) northbound
Forrest 67 US 49 / MS 42 west – Hattiesburg, Jackson South end of MS 42 concurrency; signed as exits 67A (south) and 67B (north)
69 MS 42 east (Evelyn Gandy Parkway) – Petal North end of MS 42 concurrency
​ 73 Monroe Road
Jones ​ 76 Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport
​ 78 Sanford Road
​ 80 Moselle
​ 85 MS 590 – Ellisville
Ellisville 88 MS 29 / MS 588 – 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/MS 15 concurrency; signed as exits 95A (south) and 95B (north)
95C Beacon Street Laurel S-curve southbound
96A 4th Avenue, Masonite Road
96B MS 15 south (Cook Avenue) – Richton North end of MS 15 concurrency
97 US 84 east (Chantilly Street) – Waynesboro North end of US 84 concurrency
99 US 11
​ 104 Sandersville
Jasper ​ 113 MS 528 – Heidelberg, Bay Springs
​ 118 Vossburg, Paulding
Clarke ​ 126 MS 18 – Rose Hill, Pachuta
​ 134 MS 513 – South Enterprise, Rose Hill
​ 137 North Enterprise
Lauderdale ​ 142 Savoy
​ 149 I-20 west / US 80 west – Jackson South end of I-20/US 80 concurrency
Meridian 150 US 11 south / MS 19 north – Philadelphia, Meridian Airport South end of US 11/MS 19 concurrency
151 Valley Road, 49th Avenue
152 29th Avenue
153 MS 145 south (22nd Avenue) – Quitman
154 US 11 north / US 80 east / MS 19 south / MS 39 north – De Kalb, Butler North end of US 11/US 80/MS 19 concurrency; signed as exits 154A (south) and 154B (north) northbound
156 Jimmie Rodgers Pkwy
157 US 45 – Quitman, Macon Signed as exits 157A (south) and 157B (north)
​ 160 Russell
​ 165 Toomsuba
​ 169 US 11 / US 80 – Kewanee
  Mississippi–Alabama state line
Alabama Sumter ​ 0.804 1.294 1 To US 80 east – Cuba, Demopolis
​ 8.041 12.941 8 SR 17 – York
​ 17.059 27.454 17 SR 28 – Livingston, Boyd
​ 23.141 37.242 23 CR 20 – Gainesville, Epes
Greene ​ 32.229 51.868 32 Boligee
​ 40.766 65.607 40 SR 14 – Aliceville, Eutaw
​ 45.334 72.958 45 Union
​ 52.244 84.079 52 US 11 / US 43 – Knoxville
Tuscaloosa ​ 62.466 100.529 62 SR 300 – Fosters
Tuscaloosa 68.083 109.569 68 Northport Tuscaloosa Western Bypass
71.367 114.854 71 I‑359 north / SR 69 – Tuscaloosa, Moundville Signed as exts 71A (south) and 71B (north)
73.003 117.487 73 US 82 (McFarland Boulevard)
75.961 122.247 76 US 11 – Cottondale, East Tuscaloosa
77.102 124.084 77 Cottondale
​ 79.895 128.579 79 US 11 – Coaling, Cottondale
​ 86.295 138.878 86 Brookwood, Vance
​ 89.253 143.639 89 Mercedes Drive
​ 97.138 156.328 97 US 11 south / SR 5 south – West Blocton, Centreville South end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
​ 100.292 161.404 100 Abernant, Bucksville Unsigned eastern terminus for AL-216
Jefferson ​ 104.159 167.628 104 Rock Mountain Lake McAshan Drive
​ 106.201 170.914 106 I‑459 north – Gadsden, Montgomery, Atlanta Southern terminus of I-459
Bessemer 108.396 174.446 108 US 11 north / SR 5 north (Academy Drive) North end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
110.021 177.062 110 Alabama Adventure Parkway
112.341 180.795 112 18th Street, 19th Street
113.280 182.306 113 18th Avenue
115.520 185.911 115 Allison–Bonnet Memorial Drive, Jaybird Road
Fairfield 118.304 190.392 118 Valley Road – Fairfield
Birmingham 119.025 191.552 119 Lloyd Nolan Parkway Signed as exit 119A southbound
119.727 192.682 119B Avenue I Southbound exit and northbound entrance
120.934 194.624 120 SR 269 (20th Street) / Ensley Avenue
121.238 195.114 121 Bush Boulevard Southbound exit and northbound entrance
123.374 198.551 123 US 78 (Arkadelphia Road) – Jasper
124.740 200.750 124 I‑65 – Montgomery, Huntsville Signed as exits 124A (south) and 124B (north)
125.221 201.524 125A 17th Street – Downtown Birmingham Northbound exit and southbound entrance
125.639 202.196 125B 22nd Street – Downtown Birmingham Signed as exit 125 southbound
126.239 203.162 126A US 31 (11th Avenue North) / US 280 east / Carraway Boulevard – Civic Center Western terminus of US 280
126.825 204.105 126B 31st Street North
128.257 206.410 128 SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street)
129 Airport Boulevard
130.301 209.699 130 I‑20 east – Atlanta North end of I-20 concurrency
131 Oporto–Madrid Boulevard Northbound exit and southbound entrance
132.214 212.778 132 US 11 (1st Avenue North) No access from I-59 north to US 11 south, from US 11 south to I-59 north, or from US 11 north to I-59 south
133 4th Avenue South Northbound exit and southbound entrance
134.383 216.268 134 To SR 75 (Roebuck Parkway) – Center Point
Trussville 137.202 220.805 137 I‑459 south – Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Atlanta Northern terminus of I-459
141 Trussville, Pinson
​ 143.647 231.177 143 Deerfoot Parkway, Mount Olive Church Road
​ 147 I‑422 south Proposed interchange
​ 148 To US 11 – Argo
Saint Clair ​ 153.911 247.696 154 SR 174 – Odenville, Springville
​ 156.178 251.344 156 SR 23 – Springville, Ashville, St Clair Springs
​ 166.322 267.669 166 US 231 – Ashville, Oneonta
​ 173.650 279.463 174 Steele
Etowah Attalla 181.294 291.764 181 SR 77 – Attalla, Rainbow City
Attalla 182.058 292.994 182 I‑759 east – Gadsden Western terminus of I-759
183.030 294.558 183 US 278 (SR-74) / US 431 (SR-1/5th Avenue) – Attalla, Gadsden
Gadsden 188.082 302.689 188 SR 211 to US 11 – Noccalula Falls Park
DeKalb ​ 205.148 330.154 205 SR 68 – Collinsville, Crossville
​ 218.654 351.890 218 SR 35 – Fort Payne, Rainsville
​ 222.152 357.519 222 US 11 – Fort Payne
​ 224 49th Street
​ 231.419 372.433 231 SR 40 / SR 117 – Valley Head, Hammondville
​ 239.642 385.666 239 To US 11 / Sulphur Springs Road
  241.179
0.0		 388.140
0.0		 Alabama–Georgia state line
Georgia Dade ​ 4.1 6.6 4 Rising Fawn Old exit 1
Trenton 11.5 18.5 11 SR 136 – Trenton Old exit 2
​ 17.3 27.8 17 Slygo Road – New England Old exit 3
​ 19.5 31.4 — I‑24 – Nashville, Chattanooga Northbound exit and southbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Federal Highway Administration (October 31, 2002). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate & Defense Highways". Route Log and Finder List. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. 
  2. ^ Office of Transportation Data (2003). "Interstate Mileage Report (438 Report)" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. 
  3. ^ "Highway Overview Map of Interstate 59 in Louisiana". Google Maps. September 12, 2016. 
  4. ^ . October 27, 2016 https://aldotgis.dot.state.al.us/milepostmaps/default.htm.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ "Overview Map of Interstate 59 in Georgia". Google Maps. Retrieved September 12, 2016. 

External links[edit]

Route map: Bing / Google

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