Interstate 565
Encyclopedia
Interstate 565 is a 22-mile (35 km) long Interstate spur that connects Interstate 65 (I-65) in Decatur, Alabama
with U.S. Highway 72 in Huntsville, Alabama
.
I-565 serves the cities of Decatur
, Madison
, and downtown Huntsville
. It also provides a route to the Huntsville International Airport
.
I-565 forms a part of Appalachian Development Highway System
Corridor V. U.S. Highway 72 Alternate also follows this entire route of I-565.
was first laid out during the mid-1950s, Interstate 65
was routed on a north-south bee line
connecting Nashville, Tenn., with Birmingham, Ala. This route passes just to the east of Decatur, which was a major river port on the Tennessee River
at the time. Huntsville, however, was still a small town about twenty miles (32 km) to the east of I-65.
During the latter 1950s and all through the 1960s, Huntsville underwent massive population growth due to the establishment of the U.S. Army Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal
, and the new NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center
. By 1960, Huntsville had grown to more than twice the size of Decatur. It became clear that an Interstate Highway spur route
would be beneficial to connect Huntsville with I-65, and thence to the rest of the country. I-565 was chosen as the Federal Highway Administration
's number for this proposed spur expressway. It was decided that rather than terminating at the western edge of Huntsville, I-565 would extend farther eastward, providing an east-west freeway for Huntsville. On the eastern edge of Huntsville, I-565 was designed to feed into U.S. Highway 72
, which was being widened to a four-lane highway running from Huntsville to Kimball, Tenn., where it feeds into Interstate 24
.
Construction of I-565 began in 1987, and the freeway was opened on October 26, 1991. By the time construction had begun, Huntsville had become the most populous city in the contiguous United States
without a freeway connection to the Interstate Highway System
.
When I-565 was first opened, it was signed as a north–south highway. This created some confusion because the highway ran roughly east–west. It was re-designated soon after opening.
Unlike many urban Interstate Highways which have a uniform speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h), I-565 has a speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h), continuing well into the city.
On November 20, 2006, a school bus carrying high school students collided with another vehicle or swerved to avoid a collision and drove off an elevated off-ramp, falling nose-first approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) to the ground. Four teenage girls were killed in the accident. (See 2006 Huntsville bus accident
.)
High Priority Corridor 7.
!County
!Location
!Mile
!#
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=6|Limestone
|rowspan=2|Decatur
|0.000
|
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|0.000
|rowspan=2|1
|rowspan=2|, Nashville
|rowspan=2|Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) eastbound
|-
|rowspan=5|Huntsville
|-
|
|2
|Mooresville Road
|
|-
|3.477
|3
|Greenbrier Road
|
|-
|
|5
|Madison Boulevard, County Line Road
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former SR-20 east
|-
|rowspan=13|Madison
|
|7
|Huntsville International Airport
|
|-
|Madison
|
|9
|Wall-Triana Highway, Madison Boulevard (SR-20)
|
|-
|rowspan=11|Huntsville
|13.059
|13
|Madison Boulevard
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR-20 west
|-
|14.365
|14
| Gate 9
|Signed as exits 14A (Gate 9) and 14B (SR-255) westbound
|-
|
|15
|Madison Pike, Sparkman Drive, Bob Wallace Avenue
|Entrance to U.S. Space and Rocket Center
|-
|17.015
|17A
|
|Signed as exit 17 westbound
|-
|17.381
|17B
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|19.057
|19
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north)
|-
|19.057
|19B
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|
|19C
|Washington Street, Jefferson Street - Downtown
|Signed as exit 19A westbound
|-
|
|20
|Oakwood Avenue, Andrew Jackson Way
|
|-
|21.688
|21
|
|
|-
|21.688
|
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
with U.S. Highway 72 in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
.
I-565 serves the cities of Decatur
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
, Madison
Madison, Alabama
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,329 people, 11,143 households, and 8,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.5 people per square mile . There were 12,121 housing units at an average density of 523.4 per square mile...
, and downtown Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. It also provides a route to the Huntsville International Airport
Huntsville International Airport
Huntsville International Airport , also known as Carl T. Jones Field, is an airport located 9 miles southwest of the central business district of Huntsville, a city in Madison County, Alabama, United States...
.
I-565 forms a part of Appalachian Development Highway System
Appalachian Development Highway System
The Appalachian Development Highway System is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission in the United States. See: .-History:...
Corridor V. U.S. Highway 72 Alternate also follows this entire route of I-565.
History
When the Interstate Highway SystemInterstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
was first laid out during the mid-1950s, Interstate 65
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
was routed on a north-south bee line
As the crow flies
"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S...
connecting Nashville, Tenn., with Birmingham, Ala. This route passes just to the east of Decatur, which was a major river port on the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
at the time. Huntsville, however, was still a small town about twenty miles (32 km) to the east of I-65.
During the latter 1950s and all through the 1960s, Huntsville underwent massive population growth due to the establishment of the U.S. Army Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
, and the new NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
. By 1960, Huntsville had grown to more than twice the size of Decatur. It became clear that an Interstate Highway spur route
Spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important route . A bypass or beltway is never considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with the major road...
would be beneficial to connect Huntsville with I-65, and thence to the rest of the country. I-565 was chosen as the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
's number for this proposed spur expressway. It was decided that rather than terminating at the western edge of Huntsville, I-565 would extend farther eastward, providing an east-west freeway for Huntsville. On the eastern edge of Huntsville, I-565 was designed to feed into U.S. Highway 72
U.S. Route 72
U.S. Route 72 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 337 miles from southeast Tennessee through northern Alabama and northern Mississippi to southwest Tennessee. The highway's eastern terminus is Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its western terminus is Memphis, Tennessee...
, which was being widened to a four-lane highway running from Huntsville to Kimball, Tenn., where it feeds into Interstate 24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
.
Construction of I-565 began in 1987, and the freeway was opened on October 26, 1991. By the time construction had begun, Huntsville had become the most populous city in the contiguous United States
Contiguous United States
The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....
without a freeway connection to the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
.
When I-565 was first opened, it was signed as a north–south highway. This created some confusion because the highway ran roughly east–west. It was re-designated soon after opening.
Unlike many urban Interstate Highways which have a uniform speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h), I-565 has a speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h), continuing well into the city.
On November 20, 2006, a school bus carrying high school students collided with another vehicle or swerved to avoid a collision and drove off an elevated off-ramp, falling nose-first approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) to the ground. Four teenage girls were killed in the accident. (See 2006 Huntsville bus accident
2006 Huntsville bus accident
The Huntsville bus accident involved a school bus carrying 40 students from Lee High School and occurred on November 20, 2006 on an elevated portion of Interstate 565 in Huntsville, Alabama. Police stated that the bus went over the side of the road after being hit by a small car. Four students were...
.)
Future
Plans are currently in place to extend I-565 east several miles past the junction of U.S. Highway 72 along a newly upgraded freeway section of US 72 east of Huntsville. Construction could start on two new exits at Moores Mill Road and Shields Road by 2011. In Madison, Ala., there are plans to construct a new interchange at County Line Road. An extension of 565 west, from the current terminus at I-65, along the route of Alabama Hwy. 20 and Alternate US 72 to its junction with U.S. Highway 31 near Decatur, is also planned. In January 2007, politicians in Northwestern Alabama announced that they would launch a campaign to extend I-565 westward to Florence. I-565 is part of a proposed highway that would connect Memphis, Tenn., with Atlanta. Ga., via Rome, Ga., and Chattanooga as part of ISTEAIntermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in the post-Interstate Highway System era...
High Priority Corridor 7.
Exit list
{| class=wikitable!County
!Location
!Mile
!#
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=6|Limestone
Limestone County, Alabama
Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's...
|rowspan=2|Decatur
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
|0.000
|
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|0.000
|rowspan=2|1
|rowspan=2|, Nashville
|rowspan=2|Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) eastbound
|-
|rowspan=5|Huntsville
|-
|
|2
|Mooresville Road
|
|-
|3.477
|3
|Greenbrier Road
|
|-
|
|5
|Madison Boulevard, County Line Road
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former SR-20 east
|-
|rowspan=13|Madison
Madison County, Alabama
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
|
|7
|Huntsville International Airport
Huntsville International Airport
Huntsville International Airport , also known as Carl T. Jones Field, is an airport located 9 miles southwest of the central business district of Huntsville, a city in Madison County, Alabama, United States...
|
|-
|Madison
Madison, Alabama
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,329 people, 11,143 households, and 8,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.5 people per square mile . There were 12,121 housing units at an average density of 523.4 per square mile...
|
|9
|Wall-Triana Highway, Madison Boulevard (SR-20)
|
|-
|rowspan=11|Huntsville
|13.059
|13
|Madison Boulevard
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR-20 west
|-
|14.365
|14
| Gate 9
|Signed as exits 14A (Gate 9) and 14B (SR-255) westbound
|-
|
|15
|Madison Pike, Sparkman Drive, Bob Wallace Avenue
|Entrance to U.S. Space and Rocket Center
|-
|17.015
|17A
|
|Signed as exit 17 westbound
|-
|17.381
|17B
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|19.057
|19
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north)
|-
|19.057
|19B
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|
|19C
|Washington Street, Jefferson Street - Downtown
|Signed as exit 19A westbound
|-
|
|20
|Oakwood Avenue, Andrew Jackson Way
|
|-
|21.688
|21
|
|
|-
|21.688
|
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-