State Route 77 (SR 77) is a north–south

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. The southern terminus of the highway is at an

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their ...

with U.S. Route 431 (US 431) near LaFayette. The northern terminus of the highway is at an intersection with US 431 just north of Attalla. North of Talladega, the highway passes the entrance to

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969 to 1989) is a tri-oval superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Built in 1969, the track has hosted a variety of racing events, primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The track is ...

, home of the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

Sprint Cup,

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

, and

Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series i ...

races that are held annually.

Route description

SR 77 begins in Ridgeville at

US 431 U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from US 231/ Alabama State Route 210 and US 231 Business (US 231 Bus.) and US 431 Bus. in Dothan, Alabama, to Owensboro ...

. It immediately crosses a railroad track and turns south, passing through a ridge cut, before junctioning with

US 278 U.S. Route 278 (US 278) is a parallel route of US 78. It currently runs for from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wickes, Arkansas at US 71/ US 59, passing through five states in the process. Landmarks along its route incl ...

. It enters Attalla and junctions with

US 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 ...

. It turns east-to-west again and junctions with I-59 in Rainbow City. This junction is almost immediately below I-59's junction with I-759. It enters the main part of Rainbow City and junctions with

US 411 U.S. Route 411 (US 411) is an alternate parallel-highway associated with US 11. It extends for about from US 78 in Leeds, Alabama, to US 25W/ US 70 in Newport, Tennessee. US 411 travels through northeaster ...

and crosses the

Coosa River The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...

. It crosses over multiple forks of the Coosa River as it enters Calhoun County. It crosses more forks of the Coosa River as it nears Ohatchee. It junctions with SR 144 and leaves Ohatchee. It crosses into Talladega County. It enters

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

, where it junctions with

US 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 Inters ...

. It continues south and junctions with

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 ...

. It passes by the world-famous

as it enters Talladega. It junctions with SR 34 and enters the city. Within the city, it junctions with

SR 275 Route 275 or Highway 275 may refer to: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 275 * New Brunswick Route 275 * Quebec Route 275 India * National Highway 275 (India) *State Highway 275 (Maharashtra) Japan * Japan National Route 275 United States * In ...

and SR 21. It turns northwest-southeast and enters the Talledega National Forest. It eventually enters

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

. It eventually leaves the National Forest and junctions with SR 130. It maintains an east-to-west path throughout this area. it enters Ashland and junctions with SR 9. There is a highly complex string of intersections in this city, including a point where SR 9 continues on SR 77's

right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

and another point where the two routes parallel each other as they leave the city to the south. After a journey southeast to Meadow Valley, it junctions with SR 49. It maintains a concurrency with it as it enters the main part of Meadow Valley (the city). It continues on SR 49's right-of-way. It leaves the county near Sikesville. It enters Randolph County. It maintains a short east-to-west path to SR 22 in Wadley. It maintains a concurrency with it until they reach Louina. SR 22 continues on SR 77's right-of-way. SR 77 turns south and enters

Chambers County Chambers County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Chambers County, Alabama * Chambers County, Texas Chambers County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 46,571. The county seat is ...

. The route has no junctions with other routes of its kind as it makes the long journey south to La Fayette. It junctions with US 431 once again in the northern part of the city. This is SR 77's southern terminus. This route is a minor route for travel between Gadsden and Auburn as a replacement for US 431.

History

The original route of SR 77 was established in 1940, traveling from LaFayette to Ashland. By 1961, the highway was extended to its current northern terminus in northwestern

Etowah County Etowah County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 103,436. Its county seat is Gadsden. Its name is from a Cherokee word meaning 'edible tree'. In total area, it ...

. Until 1985, the segment of the highway between Talladega and

was

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 231 Alt. The earlier routes that predated SR 77 in Talladega and Calhoun counties include the Gilbert's Ferry road and the Jackson Trace, which was used and named after General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, who, with militia used this part of the route the defeat the

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: * Creek people, a former name of Muscogee, Native Americans * C ...

people at the

Battle Of Horseshoe Bend The Battle of Horseshoe Bend (also known as ''Tohopeka'', ''Cholocco Litabixbee'', or ''The Horseshoe''), was fought during the War of 1812 in the Mississippi Territory, now central Alabama. On March 27, 1814, United States forces and Indian ...

Major intersections

References

{{Reflist

077 Secret Agent 077 is a fictional superspy, lead character in a trilogy of Eurospy films starring Ken Clark (actor), Ken Clark as Dick Malloy (or Maloy). However "077" was used on posters or advertising of several other Eurospy films with little or n ...

Transportation in Chambers County, Alabama Transportation in Randolph County, Alabama Transportation in Clay County, Alabama Transportation in Talladega County, Alabama Transportation in Calhoun County, Alabama Transportation in Etowah County, Alabama

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References