U.S. Route 31 (US 31) in Alabama runs north–south up through the heart 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 ...

for . US 31 proper begins at a junction with US 90 and US 98 in Spanish Fort and exits the state into

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

running concurrently with

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between th ...

(I-65) near Ardmore. US 31 enters the limits of major cities Montgomery,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, and Decatur. Throughout the state, with the exception of its concurrency with

I-65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...

north of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, US 31 runs concurrently with the unsigned State Route 3 (SR 3). Today, aside from portions through major towns and cities, US 31 is largely a rural two-lane highway. The route has largely been supplanted by I-65, with which it has eight junctions and two concurrencies.

Route description

As with several other U.S. Routes in Alabama, U.S. Route 31 is mostly parallel to Interstate 65 throughout its journey across the state, servicing several towns and cities Interstate 65 bypasses. Upon leaving US Route 90 and US Route 98 in Spanish Fort, the route heads due east towards the town of Stapleton, where it joins Alabama State Route 59 (Gulf Shores Parkway). About eleven miles later, the route leaves the Gulf Shores Parkway right-of-way and follows a town square around the Baldwin County Courthouse in Bay Minette. Leaving Bay Minette, the route winds northeast, passing fairly close to the northwestern corner of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Upon crossing into Escambia County, the route winds east through Atmore before dipping south into Flomaton. Several hundred feet from the state line with Florida, the route gains

U.S. Route 29 U.S. Route 29 or U.S. Highway 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida, to Ellicott City, Maryland, just west of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, in the Eastern United Stat ...

, which joins it in a fifteen-mile concurrency northeast to Brewton. After losing U.S. 29 in Brewton, the route heads directly north, crossing the county line into Conecuh County. A few miles later, the route turns to be parallel with Interstate 65. Reaching

U.S. Route 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–westUS 84 was signed north-south in parts of Colorado and New Mexico. United States Numbered Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it h ...

just east of Interstate 65, U.S. Routes 31/84 travel into

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

, deviating from I-65. East of Evergreen, U.S. Route 84 heads southeast towards

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, while U.S. Route 31 winds back north into Butler County. In far southeastern Butler County, the route engages in a fairly short concurrency with Alabama State Route 55. From the end of this concurrency in Georgiana north to Tennessee and beyond, U.S. 31 roughly parallels I-65. Heading northeast, U.S. 31 passes through Greenville. After cutting a corner of Lowndes County, U.S. 31 enters Montgomery County and crosses over I-65 for the first time. After crossing

U.S. Route 80 U.S. Route 80 or U.S. Highway 80 (US 80) is a major east–west United States Numbered Highway in the Southern United States, much of which was once part of the early auto trail known as the Dixie Overland Highway. As the "0" in the ...

- which follows the historic Selma to Montgomery March Corridor - the route turns onto a beltway routing around western Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. At this point, it passes within a few miles of its child routes U.S. Route 331 and

U.S. Route 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US&nbs ...

. After crossing the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...

, the route cuts a corner of Elmore County and enters Autauga County. In

Prattville Prattville is a city located within both Autauga and Elmore counties in the State of Alabama, United States, but serves as the county seat of Autauga County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,781. Nicknamed "The Founta ...

, the route has its junction with

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a route extending from the White Sands of New ...

. It crosses Interstate 65 again a few miles later, quickly entering into

Chilton County Chilton County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Alabama, central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 45,014. The county seat is Clanton, Alabama, C ...

. The route reaches its next concurrency with

Alabama State Route 22 State Route 22 (SR 22) is a state highway that extends from Safford in Dallas County to the Georgia state line near Roanoke in Randolph County. The route travels across most of the state from west to east. Route description St ...

, which it carries across Interstate 65 and into downtown Clanton, the geographical center of Alabama. After leaving SR-22, it heads north into Shelby County. After Calera, the route crosses I-65, serving

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

. It yet again crosses I-65 into the town of

Alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

. It enters Jefferson County a few miles later, home of Birmingham (AL). In southern Jefferson County, the route reaches

Hoover Hoover may refer to: Music * Hoover (band), an American post-hardcore band * Hooverphonic, a Belgian band originally named Hoover * Hoover (singer), Willis Hoover, a country and western performer active in 1960s and '70s * "Hoover" (song), a 201 ...

. At this point, the route crosses

Interstate 459 Interstate 459 (I-459) is a bypass highway of I-59 that is an alternate Interstate Highway around the southern sides of Birmingham, Bessemer, and several other cities and towns in Jefferson County, Alabama. I-459 lies entirely within Jeff ...

- a partial beltway around Birmingham. In Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham, the route crosses Interstate 65 yet again, its last crossing in the county. Snaking up to Homewood, another suburb of Birmingham, the route reaches U.S. Route 280. At its interchange with U.S. 280, the route becomes the Red Mountain Expressway, descending down Red Mountain. Descending onto a viaduct above eastern Birmingham, the route has its junctions with

U.S. Route 78 U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for from Swifton, Arkansas, to Charleston, South Carolina. From Byhalia, Mississippi to Graysville, Alabama, US 78 runs concurrently with Inte ...

and

U.S. Route 11 U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...

before reaching their Interstate parallels, the concurrent

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Reeves County, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. B ...

and

Interstate 59 Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia ...

, which is also the western terminus of U.S. Route 280. At this junction, the route dips down out of the viaduct onto surface streets, passing through the northern suburbs of Birmingham. A few miles later, the route has its junction with

Interstate 22 Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway ...

; this is also a dual junction with Interstate 65, but not a crossing. At this point, the route leaves Birmingham. Winding through Fultondale, Gardendale,

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia * St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Man ...

, and

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

, the route serves the communities of hilly northern Jefferson County. After crossing the county line into Blount County, the route has a junction with Alabama State Route 160 immediately followed by a

Parclo 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 ...

with Interstate 65. At this point, U.S. Route 31 enters its first concurrency with Interstate 65. A few miles later in Smoke Rise, the route leaves Interstate 65 at a trumpet interchange. Following an arc, the route winds through a ridge cut, passes through Bangor, and crosses the Mulberry Fork of the

Black Warrior River The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west-central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles (286 km) to the Tombigbee River, of which the ...

into Cullman County. Immediately entering Garden City, the route slowly starts to arc back towards I-65. In Hanceville, the route passes Wallace State Community College and also passes within a few miles of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Winding north out of Hanceville, the route crosses into the city limits of Cullman. A few miles into the city limits, the route engages in a concurrency with

Alabama State Route 69 State Route 69 (SR 69) is a state highway that extends from the southwestern to the northeastern parts of the U.S. state of Alabama. The southern terminus of the highway is at an intersection with SR 177 at Jackson. The northern terminus of t ...

. About two miles later, it reaches U.S. Route 278, which is also the end of the SR-69 concurrency. Heading north out of town, the route crosses SR-157, the University of North Alabama Highway. After descending down into Morgan County, the route yet again crosses Interstate 65. Heading north, the route passes through

Hartselle Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, south of Decatur. It is part of the Decatur Metropolitan Area and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of ...

before serving Decatur. Just south of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

, the route enters its next concurrency with U.S. 72 Alt. Crossing the Tennessee River into Limestone County, the route has a Directional-T Interchange and loses U.S. 72 Alt, heading north out of the junction. Passing by Calhoun Community College, the route heads its way to Athens (AL). At this point, it has a Parclo Interchange with

U.S. Route 72 U.S. Route 72 (US 72) is an east–west United States highway that travels for from southwestern Tennessee, throughout North Mississippi, North Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The highway's western terminus is in Memphis, Tennessee a ...

. A few miles later, it returns to a concurrent state with Interstate 65, which it follows all the way to one mile above the state line with

Major intersections

References