Interstate 59

"I-59" redirects here. For the Japanese submariine I-59, see Japanese submarine I-159.

Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans 445.23 miles (716.53 km) from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia.

Interstate 59
I-59 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	445.23 mi^[1] (716.53 km)
Existed	1960–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-10 / I-12 in Slidell, LA
Major intersections	US 49 / US 98 in Hattiesburg, MS US 84 in Laurel, MS I-20 from Meridian, MS to Birmingham, AL US 80 near Cuba, AL US 82 in Tuscaloosa, AL I-459 near Bessemer, AL I-65 in Birmingham, AL I-459 at Birmingham, AL and Trussville, AL line US 278 / US 431 in Gadsden, AL
North end	I-24 near Wildwood, GA
Location
Country	United States
States	Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
Counties	LA: St. Tammany Parish MS: Pearl River, Lamar, Forrest, Jones, Jasper, Clarke, Lauderdale AL: Sumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, St. Clair, Etowah, DeKalb GA: Dade
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future
← LA 58 LA → LA 59 ← MS 57 MS → US 61 ← SR 57 AL → SR 59 ← SR 58 GA → SR 59 ← SR 405 GA SR 406 → SR 407

The highway connects the metropolitan areas of New Orleans, Louisiana; Birmingham, Alabama; and Chattanooga, Tennessee, running closely parallel to the older U.S. Route 11 (US 11) corridor for the entire distance. Approximately one-third of the route, spanning 153 miles (246 km) from Meridian, Mississippi, to Birmingham, Alabama, overlaps that of the east–west I-20.

I-59 is a four-lane freeway along its entire route, other than a short stretch from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to the southern terminus of I-459 and in Birmingham, where it widens to six lanes or more. Aside from the metropolitan areas it passes through, the I-59 corridor is mainly rural in nature, especially in Georgia.

Route description

Lengths

	mi^[1]	km
LA	11.48	18.48
MS	171.72	276.36
AL	241.36	388.43
GA	20.67	33.27
Total	445.23	716.53

Louisiana

I-59 spans 11.48 miles (18.48 km) in Louisiana, the shortest distance in the four states through which it travels. The route begins at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-10 (exit 267) and I-12 (exit 85) at the northeastern corner of Slidell, a city in St. Tammany Parish. From this interchange, connections are made to New Orleans and Hammond, as well as Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Heading north, I-59 has two exits serving the town of Pearl River, where it begins a concurrency with US 11. Immediately afterward, the highway crosses the West Pearl River and passes through an interchange with Old US 11, a portion of the pre-Interstate alignment serving the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. I-59 then travels through the Honey Island Swamp for six miles (9.7 km) before crossing the main branch of the Pearl River into Mississippi.^[2][3][4]

Mississippi

See also: Interstate 20 in Mississippi

 

I-59 cosigned with I-20 in Mississippi; other cosigned routes are listed on the shields of the next sign

In Mississippi, I-59 continues to run parallel with US 11, traversing mainly rural areas but going through or bypassing the towns of Picayune, Poplarville, Hattiesburg, Moselle, Ellisville, Laurel, and Meridian.

For its length in Mississippi, I-59 either runs concurrently with, or runs close to, US 11. Between the towns of Pearl River and Picayune, US 11 travels concurrent with I-59. The highway also has concurrencies with US 98 in Hattiesburg; Mississippi Highway 42 (MS 42) just north of Hattiesburg; US 84 and MS 15 in Laurel; and US 80, US 11, and MS 19 in the Meridian area.^{[citation needed]}

A notoriously sharp S-curve, at milepost 96 in Laurel, was the subject of a large reconstruction project that began in 2006. Those sharp curves were the legacy of an overpass over the Southern Railway on a town bypass with design dating from before the Interstate Highways, and they featured a 40-mile-per-hour (64 km/h) speed limit, one of the lowest anywhere on the Interstate Highway System. This work was completed in 2009.^[5]

Just west of Meridian, I-20 joins I-59 and these two highways continue together for 153 miles (246 km), across the border with Alabama to and through Birmingham. The exit numbers are given as those of I-59.^{[citation needed]}

At 4:00 pm on August 27, 2005, for the first time in its history, the southbound lanes of I-59 were temporarily redirected northward to accommodate evacuation for Hurricane Katrina. This was a previously agreed to joint plan by the states of Mississippi and Louisiana called contraflow lane reversal. The program began at the Louisiana–Mississippi state line and continued 21 miles (34 km) north to Poplarville.^{[citation needed]}

Alabama

See also: Interstate 20 in Alabama

 

I-59/I-20 approaching I-65 in downtown Birmingham

I-59 and I-20 travel together for about 40 percent of their route through Alabama, passing northeast through Tuscaloosa before finally parting ways in eastern Birmingham.

In Birmingham, many wrecks and accidents occur near the crossover interchange of I-20/I-59 and I-65 (commonly called "Malfunction Junction"). On two occasions, 18-wheelers crashed and burned fiercely enough to melt the support beams of overpasses. Beginning in eastern Birmingham, I-59 continues on its own northeast, passing by Gadsden and Fort Payne in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains before entering Georgia.

I-59 from Gadsden at milemarker 182 to Stephen's Gap at milemarker 193 had degraded over the decades since it was opened into a rough concrete highway. Between 2010 and 2014, a construction project called "Project 59" took place between Gadsden and Fort Payne. This project consisted of reconstructing the Interstate Highway with unbonded concrete (without any space cracks) as well as modifications to the width and vertical clearance of the bridges and overpasses in the segment.

Georgia

I-59 has a short trek through Georgia, with only three exits before ending at I-24 several miles west of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Wildwood, Georgia. The entire route of I-59 in Georgia is named Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. I-59's southbound location is marked Birmingham instead of Gadsden in Georgia. Gadsden is the next city that I-59 southbound is traveling to right before the route reaches Birmingham. For services, I-59 has no direct access to the Georgia Welcome Center, instead I-59's Georgia Welcome Center is located in Trenton. Drivers must take I-59 Trenton exit 11 to get access to the Georgia Welcome Center. Within Georgia, it carries unsigned designated as State Route 406 (SR 406) for internal Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) purposes.^[6]

History

Interstate 59 was first designated in 1960. Within Louisiana, Interstate 59 was first constructed across the Pearl River as the replacement route for US 11 at St. Rose starting in 1958. The stretch southward into Slidell along with I-10 south to the Twin Bridges opened in 1965-66. Interstate 59 in Mississippi opened initially from the Louisiana state line toward Picayune and from Hattiesburg to Laurel in 1963. All of the route south of the overlap with I-20 was completed by 1969.^[7] The stretch of I-59/I-20 running through downtown Birmingham was completed in 1973. This stretch was reconstructed starting in January 2019 and ending in early-2020.^[8]

Future

I-59 will be widened on the north side of Birmingham, Alabama between I-459 (exit 137) and Chalkville Mountain Road (exit 141) as announced by Governor Kay Ivey on August 31, 2023. The project is expected to cost $80 million.^[9]

Exit list

State	Parish/County	Location	mi^[10]^[11]^[12]	km	Old exit	New exit	Destinations	Notes
Louisiana	St. Tammany	Slidell	0.000– 0.842	0.000– 1.355		1	I-10 / I-12 west – New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, Hammond	Southern terminus of I-59; eastern terminus of I-12; signed as exits 1A (I-12), 1B (I-10 east) and 1C (I-10 west); I-10 exit 267; I-12 exit 85
		​	3.424– 4.156	5.510– 6.688		3	US 11 south / LA 1090 south – Pearl River	Southern end of US 11 concurrency; northern terminus of LA 1090
		Pearl River	5.170– 5.636	8.320– 9.070		5A	LA 3081 – Pearl River	Northern terminus of LA 3081
		​	6.264– 6.765	10.081– 10.887		5B	Honey Island Swamp	To Old US 11
		​	11.638– 11.957	18.730– 19.243		11	Pearl River Turnaround
Pearl River			12.058 0.00	19.405 0.00	Louisiana–Mississippi line
Mississippi	Pearl River	​	0.5	0.80		1	US 11 north / MS 607 south – Nicholson, John C. Stennis Space Center	North end of US 11 concurrency; north end of MS 607
		Picayune	4.0	6.4		4	MS 43 south – Picayune, Kiln	South end of MS 43 concurrency
			6.0	9.7		6	MS 43 north – North Picayune	North end of MS 43 concurrency
		​	10.5	16.9		10	Carriere
		​	14.9	24.0		15	McNeill
		​	19.5	31.4		19	Millard
		​	26.7	43.0		27	MS 53 – Necaise, Poplarville
		​	29.6	47.6		29	MS 26 – Poplarville, Wiggins
		​	35.4	57.0		35	Hillsdale Road
		Lumberton	41.1	66.1		41	MS 13 – Lumberton
	Lamar	Purvis	51.3	82.6		51	MS 589 – Purvis
	Forrest	​	58.6	94.3		59	US 98 east – Lucedale, Mobile	South end of US 98 concurrency
		​	60.5	97.4		60	US 11 – South Hattiesburg, Downtown Hattiesburg
	Lamar	Hattiesburg	64.8	104.3		65	US 98 west (MS 198 east) / Hardy Street – Columbia	North end of US 98 concurrency; signed as exits 65A (MS 198) and 65B (US 98) northbound
	Forrest		67.4	108.5		67	US 49 / MS 42 west – Hattiesburg, Jackson	South end of MS 42 concurrency; signed as exits 67A (south) and 67B (north)
			69.6	112.0		69	MS 42 east (Evelyn Gandy Parkway) – Petal	North end of MS 42 concurrency
		​	73.1	117.6		73	Monroe Road
	Jones	​	75.6	121.7		76	Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport
		​	78.0	125.5		78	Sanford Road
		​	80.3	129.2		80	Moselle
		​	85.6	137.8		85	MS 590 – Ellisville
		Ellisville	88.2	141.9		88	MS 29 / MS 588 – Ellisville
		​	90.3	145.3		90	US 11 (Ellisville Boulevard)
		Laurel	92.9	149.5		93	US 11 – South Laurel
			94.5	152.1		95A-B	US 84 west / MS 15 north (16th Avenue)	South end of US 84/MS 15 concurrency; signed as exits 95A (south) and 95B (north)
			95.0	152.9		95C	Leontyne Price Boulevard	Formerly Beacon Street
			95.6	153.9		96A	4th Avenue / Masonite Road
			96.0	154.5		96B	MS 15 south (Cook Avenue) – Richton	North end of MS 15 concurrency
			96.8	155.8		97	US 84 east (Chantilly Street) – Waynesboro	North end of US 84 concurrency
			98.6	158.7		99	US 11
		​	104.1	167.5		104	Sandersville
	Jasper	​	113.3	182.3		113	MS 528 – Heidelberg, Bay Springs
		​	118.2	190.2		118	Vossburg, Paulding
	Clarke	​	125.9	202.6		126	MS 18 – Rose Hill, Pachuta
		​	133.6	215.0		134	MS 513 – South Enterprise, Rose Hill	Rose Hill not on northbound sign
		​	136.8	220.2		137	North Enterprise
	Lauderdale	​	141.6	227.9		142	Savoy
		​	147.9	238.0		149	I-20 west / US 80 west – Jackson	South end of I-20/US 80 concurrency
		Meridian	149.9	241.2		150	US 11 south / MS 19 north – Philadelphia, Meridian Airport	South end of US 11/MS 19 concurrency
			150.5	242.2		151	James Chaney Dr
			151.4	243.7		152	29th Avenue
			152.8	245.9		153	MS 145 south / MS 493 north (22nd Avenue) – Quitman
			153.7	247.4		154	US 11 north / US 80 east / MS 19 south / MS 39 north – De Kalb, Butler	North end of US 11/US 80/MS 19 concurrency; signed as exits 154A (south) and 154B (north) northbound; north end of MS 39
			155.4	250.1		156	Jimmie Rodgers Parkway
			156.5	251.9		157	US 45 – Quitman, Macon	Signed as exits 157A (south) and 157B (north)
		​	160.0	257.5		160	Russell
		​	164.6	264.9		165	Toomsuba
		​	168.2	270.7		169	US 11 / US 80 – Kewanee
			171.7 0.000	276.3 0.000	Mississippi–Alabama line
Alabama	Sumter	Cuba	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
		York	8.041	12.941		8	SR 17 – York
		Livingston	17.059	27.454		17	SR 28 – Livingston, Boyd
		​	23.141	37.242		23	CR 20 to SR 39 – Gainesville, Epes
	Greene	Boligee	32.229	51.868		32	CR 20 – Boligee, West Greene
		Eutaw	40.766	65.607		40	SR 14 – Aliceville, Eutaw
		​	45.334	72.958		45	CR 208 – Union
		Knoxville	52.244	84.079		52	US 11 / US 43 (SR 7 / SR 13) – Knoxville
	Tuscaloosa	​	62.466	100.529		62	SR 300 – Fosters
		​	68.033	109.489		68	Joe Mallisham Parkway
		Tuscaloosa	71.367	114.854		71	I-359 / SR 69 (US 11 / SR 7) – Tuscaloosa, Moundville	Signed as exits 71A (SR 69 south) & 71B (I-359/SR 69 north); southern terminus of I-359; parclo interchange
			73.003	117.487		73	US 82 / SR 6 (McFarland Boulevard)	Luther Stancel Pate III Memorial Bridge
			75.961	122.247		76	US 11 / SR 7 (Skyland Boulevard)
			77.102	124.084		77	Buttermilk Road	Formerly signed for 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 5 south (SR 7 south) – West Blocton, Centreville	South end of US 11/SR 5 concurrency
		​	100.292	161.404		100	SR 216 – Lake View	Eastern terminus of SR 216
	Jefferson	​	104.159	167.628		104	Rock Mountain Lake Road	Access via McAshan Drive
		​	106.201	170.914		106	I-459 – Gadsden, Montgomery, Atlanta	Southern terminus of I-459; proposed future southern terminus of I-422
		Bessemer	108.396	174.446		108	US 11 north / SR 5 north / SR 7 north (Academy Drive)	North end of US 11/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
			119.025	191.552		119	Lloyd Nolan Parkway	Signed as exit 119A southbound
		Ensley	119.727	192.682		119B	Avenue I	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			120.934	194.624		120	SR 269 (20th Street Ensley) / Ensley Avenue	Southern terminus of SR 269
			121.238	195.114		121	Bush Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		Birmingham	123.374	198.551		123	US 78 / SR 4 (Arkadelphia Road)
			124.740	200.750		124A	6th Avenue North – Downtown	Eastbound exit only
						124B-C	I-65 – Montgomery, Huntsville	Signed as exits 124B (south) and 124C (north); I-65 exits 261B-C; hybrid interchange
			125.221	201.524		124D	17th Street N. – Downtown	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
			125.639	202.196		125B	22nd Street – Downtown	Closed; was signed as exit 125 westbound
			126.239	203.162		126A	US 31 south / US 280 east (SR 3 south)       Carraway Boulevard to US 31 north (SR 3 north)	Western terminus of US 280
			126.825	204.105		126B	31st Street N. / 25th Street N. – Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex
			128.257	206.410		128	SR 79 (Tallapoosa Street)
			129.621	208.605		129	Airport Boulevard
			130.301	209.699		130	I-20 east – Atlanta	North end of I-20 concurrency; I-20 exit 130A
			131.801	212.113		131	Oporto–Madrid Boulevard	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			132.214	212.778		132	US 11 / SR 7 (1st Avenue North)	No access from I-59 north to US 11 south, from US 11 south to I-59 north, or from US 11 north to I-59 south
			133.814	215.353		133	4th Avenue South	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			134.383	216.268		134	To SR 75 (Roebuck Parkway) – Center Point
			137.202	220.805		137	I-459 south – Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Atlanta	Northern terminus of I-459
		Trussville	140.802	226.599		141	Trussville, Pinson
			143.647	231.177		143	Deerfoot Parkway / Mount Olive Church Road
		​				147	I-422 south	Proposed interchange; future northern terminus of I-422
		​	147.647	237.615		148	To US 11 (SR 7) – Argo
	St. Clair	​	153.911	247.696		154	SR 174 – Odenville, Springville
		​	156.178	251.344		156	SR 23 – St. Clair Springs, Springville
		Ashville	166.322	267.669		166	US 231 (SR 53) – Ashville, Oneonta
		Steele	173.650	279.463		174	Steele
	Etowah	Gadsden	181.294	291.764		181	SR 77 – Attalla, Rainbow City
		Gadsden–Attalla line	182.058	292.994		182	I-759 east – Gadsden	Western terminus of I-759
		Attalla	183.030	294.558		183	US 278 / US 431 (SR 74 / SR 1) – Attalla, Gadsden
		Reece City–Gadsden line	188.082	302.689		188	SR 211 to US 11 (SR 7) – Gadsden, Reece City
	DeKalb	Collinsville	205.148	330.154		205	SR 68 – Collinsville, Crossville
		Fort Payne	218.654	351.890		218	SR 35 – Fort Payne, Rainsville
			222.152	357.519		222	US 11 (SR 7) – Fort Payne
			224.100	360.654		224	49th Street NW
		Hammondville	231.419	372.433		231	SR 40 / SR 117 – Valley Head, Hammondville
​		239.642	385.666		239	To US 11 (SR 7) / Sulphur Springs Road
			241.179 0.00	388.140 0.00	Alabama–Georgia line Southern end of unsigned SR 406 concurrency
Georgia	Dade	​	4.1	6.6	1	4	Rising Fawn	Access via Deer Head Cove Road
		Trenton	11.5	18.5	2	11	SR 136 (White Oak Gap Road) – Trenton	To the Georgia Welcome Center and to the Cloudland Canyon State Park
		​	17.3	27.8	3	17	Slygo Road – New England
		​	19.5	31.4	4	–	I-24 – Nashville, Chattanooga SR 406	Northern terminus; northern end of unsigned SR 406 concurrency; old exit 4 was I-24 west; I-24 exit 167
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

Auxiliary routes

• I-359 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• I-459 in Birmingham, Alabama
• I-759 in Gadsden, Alabama

See also

•   U.S. roads portal
•   Mississippi portal
•   Georgia (U.S. state) portal

References

1. "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2016". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. February 22, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
2. Google (May 14, 2017). "Overview Map of I-59 in Louisiana" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
3. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). St. Tammany Parish (East Section) (PDF) (Map). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
4. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Office of Multimodal Planning (February 2012). District 62: Official Control Section Map / Construction and Maintenance (PDF) (Map). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
5. Richardson, Ontario (September 11, 2009). "Laurel S-Curve renamed, reopened". WDAM-TV. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
6. Office of Transportation Data (2003). (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2006.
7. "Interstate 59 - Interstate-Guide.com". Interstate-Guide. September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
8. Pillion, Dennis (January 9, 2019). "Why did I-20/59 become I-59/20 after 40 years?". al. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
9. Turner, Alyssa (August 31, 2023). "Governor Ivey Announces Widening of I-65, Hoover Interchange Project and Widening of I-59". Office of the Governor of Alabama.
10. "La DOTD GIS Data". Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. September 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
11. "Milepost Web". October 27, 2016.
12. Google (September 12, 2016). "Overview Map of Interstate 59 in Georgia" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 12, 2016.

External links

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