Portal:U.S. roads/Selected article/May 2010

Interstate 359 north at Exit 2 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Interstate 359 (I-359) is a part of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Alabama. It is a spur route that runs for 2.76 miles (4.44 km) entirely within the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Its termini are just south of I-20/I-59 interchange on the south side of town and U.S. Highway 43 (US 43) in downtown Tuscaloosa. The entire length is concurrent with U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) and Alabama State Route 69 (SR 69), with both continuing as at-grade thoroughfares north and south of the shorter Interstate.

In the early 1960s, local planners and elected officials stated the need for direct access to Interstate 59 from the city of Tuscaloosa. As annexation had not yet brought the city limits to the I-59 corridor, Interstate 359 was originally to be the only access provided to I-59 directly from Tuscaloosa. The route as originally envisioned, was to have has 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. Planning for the corridor continued throughout the 1970s, only to stall briefly due to complications with the required environmental impact assessment associated with the project. Construction would commence in 1980 on the first phase of the freeway, and the first segment of I-359 opened to traffic in October 1982 between I-20/59 and Exit 1. The freeway was officially dedicated and opened for traffic on September 13, 1983.

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