Western terminus of I-22 at I-269 in Byhalia, MississippiEastern terminus at I-65 in Birmingham, Alabama, as of 2016[update]. The freeway is planned to be extended east toward US 31.
I-22 serves as a connection between Birmingham and suburban Memphis, filling in a gap in the Interstate Highway System. It also fills a gap that provides freeway passage between Atlanta and Oklahoma City.[3] It begins at an interchange with I-269 at Byhalia, Mississippi, approximately 25 miles (40 km) from downtown Memphis and travels southeast across northern Mississippi and Alabama, before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately five miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Birmingham, Alabama.[4]
I-22 begins at a cloverleaf interchange with I-269 just west of Byhalia in DeSoto County in northwestern Mississippi in the far southeastern suburbs of Memphis. It is concurrent with US 78, which is a four-lane freeway through its entire length in Mississippi and the exit numbers for its overlap with I-22 remain based on its mileage. I-22/US 78 then continues southeastward into Marshall County parallel to Mississippi Highway 178 (MS 178; the former alignment of US 78) with latter route providing local access to small towns along the route. The first major community the freeway passes is Holly Springs, the county seat of Marshall County. I-22/US 78 bypasses the city to the southwest; exits 26 (Landfill Road) and 30 (MS 4/MS 7) provide access to the city. Continuing southeastward, the freeway than passes through the Holly Springs National Forest and into Benton County passing near several small towns that are accessible through interchanges with or connecting to MS 178. Upon exiting the forest into Union County, I-22/US 78 approaches the county seat of New Albany before passing just southwest of it with four exits (60, 61, 63, and 64) providing direct access to the city. MS 30 shares a brief concurrency with I-22/US 78 between exits 61 and 64 with the latter exit being at MS 15. To the southeast of the city near the town of Sherman in Pontotoc County, I-22/US 78 has a second brief concurrency with MS 9 starting between the exits 73 and 76. Exit 73 is a six-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange, the first non-diamond interchange on the freeway since its starting point at I-269, a distance of about 61.2 miles (98.5 km). I-22/US 78 then enters Lee County and passes north of Tupelo, its county seat, with five exits (81, 82, 85, 86, and 87) connecting to the city, including an interchange with MS 178 (exit 81) northwest of Tupelo along with interchanges with the Natchez Trace Parkway (exit 85) and US 45/Corridor V (exit 86) north of the city with Corridor V becoming concurrent with I-22/US 78. The freeway then turns eastward and has an interchange with MS 371 north of Mooreville before crossing into Itawamba County. I-22/US 78/Corridor V then has an interchange with MS 178 (to MS 363) in Peppertown before crossing the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway to its next interchange with South Adams Street (exit 104), which provides access to the community of Fulton, the county seat. MS 25 becomes concurrent with I-22/US 78/Corridor V and heads eastward along the route at the exit as well. A weigh station is also just beyond the exit. One exit later (108), MS 25 and Corridor V branch off and head northward. I-22/US 78 then turns east-southeastward with one final interchange (exit 113) with MS 23 south of Tremont before crossing into Alabama.[4]
Still a four-lane freeway, I-22/US 78 (internally designated as State Route 4, or SR 4) enters into northwestern Alabama northwest of Bexar in Marion County and heads east-southeastward. Its first interchange (exit 3) is located just east of town at County Route 33 (CR 33). I-22/US 78/SR 4's next four exits (7, 11, 14, and 16) serve the city of Hamilton, the county seat. The freeway curls around the southwest side of the city. Exit 7 gives I-22/US 78/SR 4 access to SR 19 and SR 74, exit 11 is an interchange with SR 17 and exit 16 is an interchange with US 43/US 278/SR 171. The final exit also provides access to the community of Guin. I-22/US 78 then passes south of Brilliant which is accessible by interchanges with SR 44 (exit 26, which also serves the town of Twin and the city of Guin) and SR 129 (exit 30, which also serves the community of Winfield). An interchange with SR 233 (exit 34) serves the community of Glen Allen before I-22/US 78/SR 4 crosses into Walker County. Its next interchange, SR 13 (exit 39), serves the communities of Eldridge and Natural Bridge. Carbon Hill is served by CR 11 (exit 46, which also serves Nauvoo) and SR 118 (exit 52; former US 78 Alternate). I-22/US 78/SR 4 then widens to six lanes and has an unsigned interchange (exit 53) with future SR 102. I-22/US 78/SR 4 then passes just south of Jasper, the county seat, which is served by four exits (57, 61, 63, and 65) with SR 118, SR 69, SR 269, and Industrial Parkway. The freeway narrows to four lanes at exit 57 but expands back to six lanes at exit 63. The next three exits (70, 72, and 78) serve Cordova, Parrish, Dora, Sumiton, Wyatt, and Quinton. I-22/US 78/SR 4 then enters Jefferson County and has an interchange with CR 45 (exit 81), which serves West Jefferson. Its next interchange is with SR 5 (exit 85); the exit marks the end of the concurrency with US 78/SR 4 which branches off and becomes concurrent with SR 5 south, which serves as a local road for Graysville and the northwestern suburbs of Birmingham. Between exits 85 and 87 (CR 112) is the future site of the interchange with I-222 (exit 86), which would connect I-22 to the proposed I-422 (Corridor X-1/Birmingham Northern Beltline). I-22 than passes through Coalburg before ending at an interchange with I-65 (unsigned exits 95A and 95B) approximately five miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Birmingham. Ramp stubs for an additional interchange (future exit 95C) just beyond I-65 to US 31 have been made, but construction on this won't begin until at least 2030.[4][5]
History
The concept of a Memphis-to-Birmingham expressway was discussed as early as the 1950s but did not move beyond talk for more than 20 years.[6]
When studies for I-22 began, the highway was proposed to continue west to downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and end at I-240 and I-69. Several other proposals were also considered. One took I-22 along I-269 to I-55/I-69 and another took it along Crump Boulevard to end at I-55, but those plans never materialized.
The part of I-22 just east of Fulton, Mississippi, was approved by Congress as "Corridor X" in 1978, as a part of the ADHS, and parts of I-22 have been under construction ever since.[7] Corridor X was also designated as "High Priority Corridor 10" in the federal National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 and as "High Priority Corridor 45" in later legislation.[8] Over the many years of development, the project changed multiple times.
In 2004, Corridor X was designated as Future I-22 by Public Law Number 108-199,[9] and the designation was made official on April 18, 2005.[10] In Alabama and Mississippi, blue signs reading "FUTURE/I-22/CORRIDOR" at left and an I-22 shield with "FUTURE" instead of "INTERSTATE" at the right were unveiled on April 18, 2005.[10]
The first major completed section of the route between the Mississippi state line and Jasper was opened to traffic on November 22, 2005.[11] Exits on the Jasper Bypass portion of I-22 were originally numbered using a kilometer-based sequence because, at the time this stretch was opened, it appeared that all highways in the US were going to be measured using the metric system. The final decision was made to remain using miles, and they have been renumbered according to the highway's mileposts. A six-mile (9.7 km) segment between Graysville and Brookside was opened in June 2007,[12] and another 20-mile (32 km) section of Future I-22 between Jasper and Graysville was opened in November 2007.[13] A 1.8-mile (2.9 km) segment between Cherry Avenue in Forestdale to a point about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) short of I-65 near Fultondale, including an interchange with Coalburg Road, was opened in December 2009.[14] Next came the connection of I-22 with I-65 and US 31.[14] The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) widened Coalburg Road from its interchange with I-22 southward to Daniel Payne Drive (which leads to I-65) to allow heavy trucks to use it; this project was nearly complete as of May 2015.[15] Signs are now in place on Daniel Payne Drive (westbound) informing truckers that access to I-22 is not allowed from Daniel Payne Drive.
ALDOT was to award contracts in August 2009 for the construction of the final segment of I-22, including its large interchange with I-65 and US 31, with the construction to begin shortly afterward. Funding delays postponed these into 2010, however. On March 19, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act) into law, which included an extension of federal highway funding through the end of 2010. This extension gave the ALDOT the opportunity to proceed with its plans for the construction of final segment of I-22 in Alabama. The opening of the bids for this project began on May 21, 2010. ALDOT announced on June 16, 2010, that the project has been awarded to the company Archer Western Contractors for $168.6 million (equivalent to $222 million in 2022[16]).[17] The project is the most expensive highway project ever undertaken in Jefferson County, and it is the highest-priced contract awarded by the ALDOT as of 2010[update].[18]
In April 2013, the first actual I-22 shields were deployed in Marion County, Alabama, immediately east of the Mississippi state line. Such signs will extend east at least through Walker County into the outskirts of Birmingham.[20] On August 21, 2014, ALDOT reported that I-22's interchange with I-65 would not be completed until October 2015.[21] The interchange's connections via exit 95 to I-65 and the continuation under I-65 as exit 95C at US 31 remained under construction. In March 2016, the interchange with I-65 and continuation to US 31 was still under construction. New lanes north and southbound were opened on I-65 passing through the interchange and construction and painting operations were carried out on the I-22 entrance and exit ramps.[22] The interchange to I-65 opened to traffic on June 20, 2016, while the connector to US 31 remained under construction.[23]
Mississippi officials announced May 5, 2015, that the state officially began the process to designate its portion as I-22. The two requirements to be able to apply for this designation were to upgrade the route to Interstate standards and to connect to an existing Interstate within 25 years; this was completed when I-269 was opened in December 2017. The I-65 interchange was opened in October 2015.[24] The route was officially signed in Mississippi in a ceremony on October 23, 2015.[25]
A possible spur route of I-22 in the Tupelo, Mississippi area is currently listed as High Priority Corridor 95. The route would begin in Shannon and generally follow US 45 northward, passing east of Tupelo before terminating at I-22/US 78.[29] US 45 is currently a freeway along this entire corridor, but is not up to interstate standards.[30] Additionally, congestion and safety issues along US 45 in this area need to be improved.[31]
Another I-22 spur route has been proposed to connect I-22 with communities in Northwest Alabama. This spur would begin at I-22 near Eldridge and head northward mostly paralleling SR 13. It would pass near Natural Bridge, Haleyville, Phil Campbell, and Bear Creek before terminating at SR 13 at the south end of the Spruce Pine bypass. The proposal was made by State Representative Tracy Estes as a way to complete the Haleyville bypass, a project that was first conceived in 1955. Funding was first secured in the 1990s, but construction was halted in 2014 when the funding ran out.[32][33]
Interstate 222 (I-222) is a future auxiliary Interstate Highway that will be a connector between I-22 and the proposed I-422 near Birmingham, Alabama. There will be no exits other than its terminuses. The highway has been proposed because an interchange directly between I-22 and I-422 cannot be built because of environmental issues.[clarification needed] AASHTO approved the designation on May 18, 2012.[34] Construction on this new route has not been scheduled at this time.
I-422 is a future proposed northwestern bypass of Birmingham, connecting between I-20/I-59 from the southwest and I-59 in the northeast. It will also be connected with I-22 via I-222 in Brookside, located northwest of Birmingham. It was first proposed in May 2009 by US Representative Spencer Bachus; on May 18, 2012, it was approved by AASHTO.[34][35] Construction on a short 1.34-mile (2.16 km) section of the route between SR 79 and 75 was started shortly afterwards, but issues with funding and local opposition held up the project. More funding for the interstate was provided in Spring 2023. It covered the construction of I-422 between SR 79 to US 31 for a total of 10 miles (16 km). The construction of this part of the interstate, which will be four lanes, was expected to begin later in the Spring and be completed by 2028,[36] but the start date was delayed again. A complaint has been filed over construction resuming,[37] and although ALDOT expected to break ground on the resumption of the project in November 2023, no new information has been made public as of December 2023.[38]
^MacDonald, Ginny (January 28, 2004). "Corridor X Gets Official Seal as I-22". The Birmingham News.[page needed]
^ abMacDonald, Ginny (April 15, 2005). "Corridor X Becomes I-22: Signs Bearing Name to Be Unveiled Monday in Jasper by Officials". The Birmingham News. p. 1C.
^Faulk, Kent (November 23, 2005). "Corridor X Section Opens in West Alabama". The Birmingham News. p. 4C.
^MacDonald, Ginny (June 2, 2007). "13 Miles of Corridor X to Open: End of Long Road in Sight for I-22". The Birmingham News. p. 1A.
^MacDonald, Ginny (October 31, 2007). "26 Miles of Corridor X to Open Nov. 14: Stretch Offers Straight Shot from Forestdale to Memphis". The Birmingham News. p. 1A.
^ abStaff Reporters (December 10, 2009). "Corridor X Opens New Section: Interchange Lags". The Birmingham News. p. 2A.
^ abSpecial Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 19, 2012). "Report to SCOH"(PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 2. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 3, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
I-269 / US 78 / MS 304 near Byhalia, MS
I-65 near Birmingham, AL
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