Interstate 59

Interstate 59 (abbreviated I-59) is an interstate highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.

The road's major purpose was to connect Birmingham, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana, parallel with U.S. 11.

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
LA	11	18
MS	171.716	276.350
AL	241	388
GA	20.57	33.27
Total	444	715

Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs
New Orleans, Louisiana (via I-10) Slidell, Louisiana Hattiesburg, Mississippi Laurel, Mississippi Meridian, Mississippi Tuscaloosa, Alabama Birmingham, Alabama Gadsden, Alabama Chattanooga, Tennessee (via I-24)

Louisiana

Main article: Interstate 59 in Louisiana

A stretch of I-59 in Mississippi

From Slidell, I-59 heads northeast, passing very close to Pearl River before crossing both the west and east branches of the Pearl River. At the East Pearl River, I-59 leave Saint Tammany Parish and enters Pearl River County, Mississippi. In the Magnolia State, I-59 continue to parallel U.S. 11 through mainly rural areas, going through or bypassing Picayune, Hattiesburg, Laurel and Meridian.

Mississippi

Main article: Interstate 59 in Mississippi

Near Laurel, I-59 features two sharp curves with posted speed limits of 40 miles per hour (60 km/h), one of the slowest on the interstate system. After more than 20 years of trying, the Mississippi Department of Transportation is currently in the midst of a $36 million project to straighten out the dreaded curve. [1]

At Meridian, Interstate 20 joins I-59 and the two highways continue together for 145 miles to the Alabama border and beyond to Birmingham.

At 4:00 p.m. on August 27, 2005, for the first time in its history, the southbound lanes of Interstate 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 Mississippi-Louisiana state border and continued 21 miles (33 km) north to Poplarville.

The Mississippi section of I-59 is defined in Mississippi Code Annotated § 65-3-3.

Alabama and Georgia

Main article: Interstate 59 in Alabama and Georgia

Interstates 59 and 20 are conjoined for much of their route through this state, passing northeastward through Tuscaloosa before finally parting ways in eastern Birmingham.

In Birmingham, many wrecks and accidents occur near the interchange of I-20/59 and Interstate 65. On two occasions, 18-wheelers crashed and burned fiercely enough to melt the support beams of overpasses. Because of the frequent and severe wrecks, this interchange is nicknamed "Malfunction Junction". From Birmingham, I-59 continues northeastward near Gadsden and Fort Payne before entering Georgia.

Interstate 59 has a very short trek through the Peach State, having only three exits before coming to an end at Interstate 24 several miles west of Chattanooga, Tennessee in Wildwood. During the entire length, the highway is designated State Route 406 but is not signed as such.

Major intersections

• Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 at Slidell, Louisiana
• Interstate 20 from Meridian, Mississippi to Birmingham, Alabama.
• Interstate 65 at Birmingham, Alabama
• Interstate 24 at Wildwood, Georgia

Auxiliary routes

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