Interstate 359 (I-359) is a part of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

in the US state of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. It is a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A Bypass route, bypass or beltway is not considered a spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the ...

that runs for entirely within the city limits of

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. Its terminuses are just south of

I-20 I20, I 20 or I-20 may refer to: * Interstate 20, a highway in the southeastern United States * I-20 (form), a United States government document that provides supporting information for the issuance of a student visa or change of status * I-20 (rap ...

/ I-59 interchange on the south side of town and U.S. Route 43 (US 43) in downtown Tuscaloosa. The entire length is concurrent with US 11 and State Route 69 (SR 69), with both continuing as at grade thoroughfares north and south of the shorter Interstate.

Route description

I-359 begins just south of the I-20/I-59 interchange at the western terminus of US 11 (SR 7, Skyland Boulevard) and SR 69.

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...

street maps and

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

topographic map In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but histori ...

s, accessed April 14, 2010 vi
ACME Mapper
/ref> From this point, the route travels in a northerly direction, where it meets I-20/I-59 at a

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

. The route reaches its first exit at Cousette Street in a half cloverleaf configuration, which provides access to the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. I-359 then continues in a northerly direction paralleling Greensboro Avenue to its northern terminus just north of 15th Street, where the limited access

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

transitions into an at-grade thoroughfare as it enters downtown Tuscaloosa. From its crossing of the

Alabama Great Southern Railroad The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia (U.S.), Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), running southwest from Chatt ...

(AGS) through the northern terminus, the highway in its entirety is elevated along a continuous bridge span. I-359 also features a

wrong-way concurrency Wrong way may refer to: * a traffic sign to warn of wrong-way driving * nickname of Douglas Corrigan (1907–1995), an American aviator who flew east from New York to Ireland instead of west to California in 1938 * nickname of Roy Riegels (1908–1 ...

for its entire duration with travel from downtown Tuscaloosa being signed as both I-359 and SR 69 south and US 11 north, and with travel from the south being signed both I-359 and SR 69 north and US 11 south.

History

In the early 1960s, local planners and elected officials stated the need for direct access to I-59 from the city of Tuscaloosa. As annexation had not yet brought the city limits to the I-59 corridor, I-359 was originally to be the only access provided to I-59 directly from Tuscaloosa. The route, as originally envisioned, was to have no exits for the duration of its route between its southern terminus at I-59 and its northern terminus at 15th Street in downtown Tuscaloosa. Actual planning for I-359 commenced in 1961, and, by 1971, the

Alabama Department of Transportation The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is the government agency responsible for transportation infrastructure in Alabama. The Department is organized into five geographic regions, with a Central Office located in Montgomery, Alabama, ...

(ALDOT) announced that federal funding would be sought for its construction. Planning for the corridor continued throughout the 1970s, only to stall briefly due to complications with the required

environmental impact assessment Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental impact, environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the te ...

associated with the project. By 1976, it was announced I-359 would have an exit both at 35th Street (now Cousette Street) and 15th Street to improve access to both the University of Alabama and

Stillman College Stillman College is a Private college, private historically black colleges and universities, historically black Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees i ...

. In 1977, ALDOT publicly unveiled the final routing of the route and presented it at a series of public meetings in August 1977. The selected route resulted in the slight relocation of 35th Street, the construction of a bridge along 31st Street over the freeway, and the construction of a continuous

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

along the final leg of the freeway through its 15th Street junction. Plans were also unveiled to add an additional travel lane in each direction along I-20/I-59 between its junction with I-359 and McFarland Boulevard. Following the acquisition of the necessary right-of-way, phasing of the project was released in June 1979. The first phase included the completion of the interchange at I-20/I-59 and lane expansion; the second phase included the segment between I-20/I-59 and the AGS railroad crossing; and the third phase included the elevated segment through the northern terminus in downtown Tuscaloosa. Construction would commence in 1980 on the first phase, with the bid for the second phase setting a then-record for cost for a Tuscaloosa road project at $11.9 million (equivalent to $ in ). As construction was wrapping up on phase two, phase three of the project again set a record cost at $17.4 million (equivalent to $ in ) in January 1982. The phase included the completion of the viaduct section of the freeway, constructed at an average elevation of above grade. The first segment of I-359 opened to traffic in October 1982 between I-20/I-59 and exit 1. Costing $41 million (equivalent to $ in ) at completion, I-359 was officially dedicated and opened for traffic on September 13, 1983.

Future

In 2024, ALDOT will began work to convert the US 11 (Skyland Boulevard)/SR 69 intersection into a single-point urban interchange (SPUI) in order to improve traffic flow. The project, which is a joint effort between the Tuscaloosa Road Improvement Commission and ALDOT, is expected to cost $89 million and take about three years to complete.

Exit list

References

External links