Interstate 20 in Alabama

Interstate 20
Interstate 20
	I-20 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by ALDOT
Length	214.7 mi (345.5 km)
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-20 / I-59 at the Mississippi border near Cuba
	Future I-85 near Cuba; I-359 / US 11 / SR 69 in Tuscaloosa; US 82 in Tuscaloosa; US 11 (numerous locations from Birmingham westward); I-459 near Bessemer and in Irondale; I-65 in Birmingham; US 31 / US 280 in Birmingham; I-59 in Birmingham; US 78 (numerous locations from Birmingham eastward); US 431 in Oxford;
East end	I-20 at the Georgia line near Abernathy
Location
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Sumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, St. Clair, Talladega, Calhoun, Cleburne
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future; Alabama State Highway System; Interstate; US; State;

In Alabama, Interstate 20 (I-20) travels 214.7 miles (345.5 km) through the center of the state.^[1] It enters the state from Mississippi near Cuba, and travels northeastward through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. At Birmingham, I-20 turns eastward and heads through Oxford before crossing the Georgia state line near Lebanon. Other cities on the route include Livingston, Bessemer, and Pell City.

For approximately 130 miles (210 km), more than half its distance within the state, I-20 is concurrent with I-59 from the Mississippi state line to eastern Birmingham near Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. Mileage and exits on the concurrency are I-59's, although both highways have the same mileage for the Alabama concurrency.

Route description

Western Alabama

After I-20/I-59 enters Alabama from Mississippi, they travel concurrently northeastward across the Tombigbee River and Black Warrior River delta country which is generally low-lying farmland until reaching Tuscaloosa. This area contains low population. U.S. Route 11 (US 11) parallels this route from Mississippi northeastward while it passes through small towns like York, Livingston, and Eutaw before reaching Tuscaloosa.

At Tuscaloosa, the highway connects with I-359 which travels northward into downtown Tuscaloosa and to the University of Alabama.

From the Mississippi–Alabama state line to Tuscaloosa, I-20/I-59 is a four-lane route. While passing Tuscaloosa, the route briefly becomes six lanes but once again becomes four lanes east of exit 73. The stretch between McFarland Boulevard and Skyland Blvd (exit 76) is currently being widened to six lanes.^[2]

From Tuscaloosa to Birmingham, the highway continues on an east-northeast heading traveling through rolling forested terrain until reaching I-459 southwest of Bessemer. Most of this stretch is now a six-lane freeway and construction continues to widen the highway just northeast of Tuscaloosa to six-lane capacity. This stretch also hosts the Mercedes auto plant which is a large employer of residents primarily from Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Bibb counties. I-459 travels east and then northeast around the southern periphery of the Birmingham area before reconnecting first with I-20 near Irondale and then terminating at I-59 near Trussville. I-422 (Birmingham Northern Beltline) is slated to connect to I-20/I-59 at the I-459 interchange; however, this project is still years away from completion.

I-20/I-59 approaching Birmingham in Ensley

I-20/I-59 approaching I-65 in downtown Birmingham before the section of highway was rebuilt in 2019. This was sometimes referred to locally as Malfunction Junction.

Birmingham

After passing the I-459 interchange, the highway continues northeast through the Birmingham suburbs of Bessemer, Fairfield, and Hueytown, and entering Birmingham near the Ensley community. The highway continues east-northeast through downtown before reaching the Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport where I-59 continues northeast toward Gadsden and I-20 turns eastward toward Atlanta. Most of this stretch is through urban areas including passing near the U.S. Steel plant near Fairfield, and visible from the Interstate looking north and northwest are several smokestacks which is all that remain of several large steel mills that used to dominate the Ensley community of Birmingham.

As I-20/I-59 travels eastward just past the Arkadelphia Road exit in the East Thomas community, the highway rises to the top of East Thomas hill, giving eastbound travelers an excellent view of the downtown Birmingham skyline just before reaching the interchange with I-65.

As I-20/I-59 leaves the downtown area, the highway has an interchange with the Elton B. Stephens Expressway, also known locally as the Red Mountain Expressway, which travels south across the downtown area and into the southern Birmingham suburbs.

Once I-20 turns away from I-59, it begins an eastbound journey toward Georgia. The first two miles (3.2 km) are a four-lane bridge of east Birmingham neighborhoods before reaching the shopping areas formerly known as Eastwood Mall and Century Plaza.

I-20 is a six-lane freeway from exit 132 to exit 162. This highway travels through rolling suburban country and crosses I-459 near Irondale.

As of 2017, preparation is underway to temporarily close I-20/I-59 east of I-65 in order to rebuild the overpass between 17th Street and US 31/US 280. The current bridge was completed when this segment of the highway opened in 1973. It is expected that this segment of the highway will close in the fall of 2018. Demolition of the existing bridge and erecting the new bridge is expected to take up to 14 months, meaning that it should reopen in late 2019.

"Bloody 20"

The section of I-20 between Leeds and Pell City is one of the most dangerous stretches of Interstate Highway in Alabama. The terrain is significantly hilly as the route passing across the northeast to southwest ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. There are two significant uphill grades in each direction which slows down truck traffic. However, due to the heavy volume of truck traffic combined with speeding car traffic, accidents are frequent and sometimes deadly. This part of I-20 is sometimes called "Bloody 20". Between 2010 and 2014, work was completed to add one additional lane in each direction along I-20.

Eastern Alabama

East of milemarker 155, the highway once again becomes six lanes until reaching the Coosa River bridge near Riverside. This bridge was scheduled to be replaced when the stretch between the Coosa River and milemarker 172 is widened to six lanes from four lanes. However, no timetable for this project has been announced. Exits 165 and 168 serve the Honda Motor Company which has a plant at Lincoln. Exits 168 and 173 serve the Talladega Superspeedway which hosts two NASCAR racing weeks each year. The terrain east of milemarker 155 until reaching milemarker 191 is the relatively flat Coosa River valley.

SR 202 at I-20 at exit 179

East of milemarker 172 until milemarker 188, the route is once again six lanes. From exit 188 to exit 205, I-20 narrows again to four lanes. East of exit 205, I-20 becomes a six-lane route until it reaches exit 210. However, in this area, construction is ongoing to widen the last five miles (8.0 km) to six lanes to the Georgia state line. I-20 dives into Oxford from the west into its interchange with Alabama State Route 21 (SR 21). Here, you can see Quintard Mall and some of the highest mountains in Alabama, including Cheaha Mountain. The Anniston–Oxford metropolitan area is served by exits 179, 185, 188, and 191.

Just east of exit 191 is a significant uphill/downhill grade (uphill eastbound/downhill westbound) approximately two miles (3.2 km) long. Truck traffic is significantly slowed by this hill, causing occasional traffic backups. East of this incline, the route travels through generally rural forested rolling country until the Georgia state line, continuing roughly 50 miles (80 km) to Atlanta.

This stretch of Interstate contains multiple parclo Interchanges.

East of Birmingham, US 78 serves as the parallel U.S. Route.

History

The completion of I-20 in Alabama was done in numerous stages. Few segments were completed in such a way that they had interchanges with existing segments. The first section to be opened was a 21-mile-long (34 km) segment between Leeds and Riverside in the early 1960s. The next section to open was a 28-mile-long (45 km) segment between the Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa–Jefferson county line in the mid-1960s.

The next section of I-20 to open in Alabama was a four-mile-long (6.4 km) stretch between Avenue I in Ensley and Arkadelphia Road (US 78/SR 5) near Birmingham–Southern College. This was the first segment of Interstate Highway to open in Birmingham. This segment, as well as a one-mile-long (1.6 km) segment from the Mississippi state line to what is now exit 1, leading to Cuba opened in the late 1960s.

The early 1970s saw more sections of I-20 completed in Alabama, including a 50-mile-long (80 km) segment between Epes and Tuscaloosa, a three-mile-long (4.8 km) segment between Fairfield and Ensley, a two-mile-long (3.2 km) segment between US 78 and I-65, a six-mile-long (9.7 km) segment between US 78 in Riverside and SR 77 in Lincoln, then an additional 13 miles (21 km) leading to SR 21 at Oxford.

During the mid-1970s, I-20 was extended further east in Birmingham. The first segment to open east of I-65 was a short segment leading to 17th Street in downtown, then another segment that extended the route to 22nd Street near the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center. The opening of additional segments continuing eastward led to temporary ends of I-20 at SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street) near Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport, then at US 78 in Irondale. Also, the segment of the highway between Bessemer and Fairfield was completed. In the eastern part of the state, I-20 was extended east from Oxford to SR 9 near Heflin.

During the late 1970s, I-20 was completed in east Alabama; however, only six miles (9.7 km) of the highway was opened since it was not complete in Georgia. The segment between the Georgia state line and Douglasville was among the final segments of Interstate Highway to be completed in Georgia. The temporary end of I-20 in Alabama was at SR 46. Also, the final section of I-20 connecting Tuscaloosa and Birmingham was completed, as the section of US 11 between the Tuscaloosa–Jefferson county line and Bessemer was upgraded from an expressway to a limited-access highway.

In the early 1980s, segments connecting Cuba and Livingston and then Livingston and Epes completed I-20 between the Mississippi state line and Birmingham. The final segment of the route to be completed was an eight-mile-long (13 km) section between Irondale and Leeds. This segment opened in 1985.

I-20 has no three-digit spur routes in Alabama, although at one time there was discussion of a spur northward from Oxford into Anniston which would also serve as a connection to the US Army base at Fort McClellan as well as to Gadsden. The closing of the base as well as a lack of population between Anniston and Gadsden eliminated the necessity of such a route. I-459 south of Birmingham connects to I-20 east and west of the city, continuing to I-59 northeast of the routes' split.

On January 21, 2019, along the concurrency with I-59, a segment of the Interstate, as well as an interchange with I-65 locally known as "Malfunction Junction" was closed for demolition; it will be converted to a redesigned stack interchange with right-side exits.^[3]

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Sumter		0.000	0.000		I-20 west / I-59 south – Meridian	Continuation into Mississippi
		0.804	1.294	1	To US 80 east (SR 8 east) – Cuba, Demopolis
				3	I-85 north – Montgomery	Proposed interchange; future southern terminus of I-85
		8.041	12.941	8	SR 17 – York
		17.059	27.454	17	SR 28 – Livingston, Boyd
		23.141	37.242	23	CR 20 to SR 39 – Gainesville, Epes
Greene		32.229	51.868	32	CR 20 – Boligee, West Greene
		40.766	65.607	40	SR 14 – Aliceville, Eutaw
		45.334	72.958	45	CR 208 – Union
		52.244	84.079	52	US 11 (SR 7) / US 43 (SR 13) – Knoxville
Tuscaloosa		62.466	100.529	62	SR 300 / CR 10 – Fosters	SR 300 is unsigned
	Tuscaloosa	68.033	109.489	68	Northport Tuscaloosa Western Bypass
		71.367	114.854	71	I-359 north / US 11 (SR 7) / SR 69 – Tuscaloosa, Moundville	Signed as exits 71A (south) & 71B (north), southern terminus of I-359, exit 0 on I-359; parclo interchange; serves University of Alabama
		73.003	117.487	73	US 82 (SR 6 / McFarland Boulevard)
		75.961	122.247	76	US 11 – Cottondale, East Tuscaloosa
		77.102	124.084	77	Cottondale
		79.895	128.579	79	US 11 (SR 7) – Coaling, Cottondale
		86.295	138.878	86	Brookwood, Vance
		89.253	143.639	89	Mercedes Drive
		97.138	156.328	97	US 11 south (SR 7 south) / SR 5 south – West Blocton, Centreville	South end of US 11/SR 7/SR 5 concurrency
		100.292	161.404	100	Abernant, Bucksville	Unsigned eastern terminus for SR 216; Tannehill Ironworks/Tannehill Ironworks State Park; Jefferson County line
Jefferson		104.159	167.628	104	Rock Mountain Lake	McAshan Drive
		106.201	170.914	106	I-422 north / I-459 north – Gadsden, Montgomery, Atlanta	Proposed interchange; I-459 exit 0 southbound; southern terminus of I-459; future southern terminus of I-422; trumpet interchange for now; truck bypass for I-20/I-59 traffic
	Bessemer	108.396	174.446	108	US 11 north / SR 5 north (SR 7 north / Academy Drive)	North end of US 11/SR 7/SR 5 concurrency
		110.021	177.062	110	Splash Adventure Parkway
		112.341	180.795	112	18th Street / 19th Street
	Brighton	113.280	182.306	113	18th Avenue – Brighton
	Midfield	115.520	185.911	115	Allison–Bonnett Memorial Drive, Jaybird Road
	Fairfield	118.304	190.392	118	Valley Road – Fairfield
	Birmingham	119.025	191.552	119	Lloyd Nolan Parkway	Signed as exit 119A southbound
		119.727	192.682	119B	Avenue I	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		120.934	194.624	120	SR 269 (20th Street) / Ensley Avenue	Southern terminus of SR 269
		121.238	195.114	121	Bush Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		123.374	198.551	123	US 78 (SR 4 / Arkadelphia Road) / SR 5 – Jasper
		124.740	200.750	124	I-65 – Montgomery, Huntsville	Signed as exits 124A-6th Avenue North, 124B (I-65 south) and 124C (I-65 north); I-65 exits 261B-C; hybrid interchange
		125.221	201.524	124D	17th Street – Downtown Birmingham	Eastbound exit
		125.639	202.196	125B	22nd Street – Downtown Birmingham	Was signed as exit 125 southbound
		126.239	203.162	126A	US 31 (SR 3 / Carraway Boulevard / Elton B. Stephens Expressway) / US 280 east – Civic Center	Western terminus of US-280
		126.825	204.105	126B	31st Street North
		128.257	206.410	128	SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street)
		129.621	208.605	129	Airport Boulevard
		130.301	209.699	130A	I-59 north – Gadsden	Eastern end of I-59 concurrency
		130.571	210.134	130B	US 11 (SR 7 / 1st Avenue North) / 1st Avenue South	Signed as exits 130A (south) and 130B (north) eastbound
		132.416	213.103	132A	To US 78 / Oporto-Madrid Boulevard	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		132.738	213.621	132B	To US 78 / Montevallo Road	Signed as exit 132 westbound
	Irondale	133.847	215.406	133	To US 78 / Kilgore Memorial Drive
		136.308	219.366	135	To US 78 / Old Leeds Road
		137.027	220.524	136	I-459 – Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Gadsden	I-459 exit 29
	Leeds	140.108	225.482	140	US 78 (SR 4 / Parkway Drive) – Leeds
St. Clair	Leeds	144.546	232.624	144	US 411 (SR 25 / Ashville Road) – Leeds, Moody, Odenville	Signed as exits 144A (south) and 144B (north)
	Moody	147.300	237.056	147	Moody	Kelley Creek Road
		152.140	244.846	152	Cook Springs
		153.733	247.409	153	US 78 west (SR 4 west) – Chula Vista	Western end of US 78/SR 4 concurrency
	Pell City	156.564	251.965	156	US 78 east (SR 4 east) – Eden, Pell City, Odenville	Eastern end of US 78/SR 4 concurrency
	Pell City	158.817	255.591	158	US 231 (SR 53 / Martin Street) – Ashville, Pell City
	Riverside	162.913	262.183	162	US 78 (SR 4) – Riverside, Pell City
Coosa River (Logan Martin Lake)		164.748	265.136	Bridge over the Coosa River
Talladega	Lincoln	165.094	265.693	165	Embry, Lincoln	Stemley Road
	Lincoln	168.108	270.544	168	SR 77 – Talladega, Lincoln
		173.124	278.616	173	CR 5 – Eastaboga, Talladega Superspeedway, International Motorsports Hall of Fame
	Oxford	179.729	289.246	179	SR 202 east – Munford, Coldwater	Western terminus of SR 202
Calhoun	Oxford	185.537	298.593	185	SR 21 (Quintard Drive) – Oxford, Anniston, Jacksonville
	Anniston	188.034	302.611	188	US 431 north (SR 1 north) to US 78 / Leon Smith Parkway – Oxford, Anniston, Jacksonville	Northern end of US 431/SR 1 concurrency
		191.859	308.767	191	US 431 south (SR 1 south) / SR 301 north to US 78 – Wedowee	Southern end of US 431/SR 1 concurrency; SR 301 is unsigned.
Cleburne	Heflin	199.374	320.861	199	SR 9 (Almon Street) – Heflin, Hollis
	Heflin	205.054	330.002	205	SR 46 – Ranburne
	Tallapoosa River	209.312	336.855	Bridge over the Tallapoosa River
		210.268	338.394	210	CR 49 – Ranburne, Muscadine
		214.778	345.652		I-20 east (SR 402) – Atlanta	Continuation into Georgia
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Unopened