State Route 79 (SR 79) is a 117-mile-long (188 km) state highway that extends northeastward from Birmingham to the Tennessee state line. Prior to the completion of Interstate 65 (I-65), SR 79 was the southern part of the route that connected Birmingham and Huntsville.
 State Route 79 | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ALDOT | ||||
| Length | 117 mi[1] (188 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   I-20 / I-59 at Birmingham | |||
 US 231 at Cleveland US 278 east of Blountsvile US 431 at Guntersville SR 69 at Guntersville SR 227 at Guntersville US 72 at Scottsboro | ||||
| North end |  SR 16 at the Tennessee state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Alabama | |||
| Counties | Jefferson, Blount, Marshall, Jackson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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The southern terminus of SR 79 is at an interchange of Tallapoosa Street with I-20/I-59 (exit 128) near Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. Prior to the completion of I-20/I-59, the terminus of SR 79 was at an intersection with US 31, US 78, and US 280 at the intersection of 8th Avenue North and 24th Street in downtown Birmingham.
Route description
editSR 79 begins at a modified-diamond-interchange with I-20/59 in east Birmingham, near Birmingham Int'l Airport. The route turns northeast on a four-lane divided highway and continues in this direction until it reaches Pinson. It junctions with SR 151, which leads to SR 75. The route loses its four-lane divided highway status and becomes a two-lane road, crossing into Blount County.
In southern Blount County, there are no major junctions until it reaches Cleveland. It junctions with SR 160 and continues north for just about a mile, reaching US 231. It continues on its right-of-way until it crosses the Locust Fork and leaves US 231 in Blountsville. It junctions with US 278 a few miles later. It eventually enters Marshall County.
It eventually reaches Guntersville. It junctions with US 431. It maintains a concurrency with it, junctioning with SR 69 and SR 227 before splitting off from US 431 and heading north to the Jackson County line.
In Jackson County, there are no major junctions until it turns off of its right-of-way, with its right-of-way becoming SR 279, in Scottsboro. It junctions with US 72 and SR 35 before leaving the city. In Skyline, the route junctions with SR 146. It continues north until it crosses the Tennessee state line, where it continues as Tennessee State Route 16 (SR 16) towards Winchester, TN.
Future
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Due to population growth in the area, there are long range plans to widen SR 79 to four lanes into southwestern Blount County.
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | Birmingham | 0.000 | 0.000 | 40th Street North | Southern terminus |
| 0.099 | 0.159 | I-20 / I-59 – Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, Atlanta | I-20/I-59 exit 128 | ||
| Pinson | 12.296 | 19.788 |       SR 151 north / CR 131 west (Narrows Road) to SR 75 – Oneonta | Southern terminus of SR 151 | |
 I-422 | Future interchange; I-422 exit 25 (funded, to be completed by 2028)[2] | ||||
| Blount | Cleveland | 34.395 | 55.353 |  SR 160 – Nectar, Hayden, Cleveland | |
| 35.948 | 57.853 |  US 231 south (SR 53) – Montgomery, Oneonta | Southern end of US 231/SR 53 concurrency | ||
| | 37.766 | 60.778 | US 231 north (SR 53) – Blountsville, Arab | Northern end of US 231/SR 53 concurrency | |
| Brooksville | 48.862 | 78.636 | US 278 (SR 74) – Cullman, Gadsden | ||
| Marshall | Guntersville | 64.279 | 103.447 | US 431 south (SR 1) – Albertville, Gadsden | Southern end of US 431/SR 1 concurrency |
| 65.359 | 105.185 | SR 69 south – Cullman, Arab, Tuscaloosa, Jackson | Northern terminus of SR 69 | ||
| 65.727 | 105.777 | SR 227 north – Lake Guntersville State Park, Bucks Pocket State Park | Southern terminus of SR 227 | ||
| | 71.651 | 115.311 | US 431 north (SR 1) – Huntsville | Northern end of US 431/SR 1 concurrency | |
| Jackson | Scottsboro | 88.671 | 142.702 |  SR 279 north – Scottsboro | Southern terminus of SR 279 |
| 90.430 | 145.533 | US 72 (SR 2) – Huntsville, Scottsboro | |||
| 95.303 | 153.375 |  SR 35 – Woodville, Scottsboro | |||
| | 107.353 | 172.768 |     SR 146 west / CR 107 south | Eastern terminus of SR 146 | |
| | 117.605 | 189.267 | SR 16 north (Rowe Gap Road) – Winchester | Continuation into Tennessee | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Alabama Department of Transportation. "Milepost Maps". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ "Gov. Kay Ivey: Construction will resume soon on Northern Beltline". MSN. Retrieved 13 April 2023.