Governors Drive
 Intersection at Gallatin Street | |
| Length | 7.0 mi (11.3 km)[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Huntsville, Alabama |
| East end | Dug Hill Road |
| Major junctions |  US 231 (Memorial Parkway) |
| West end |  I-565 |
Governors Drive is a major east–west thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It follows U.S. Route 431 (US-431) in east Huntsville and State Route 53 (SR-53) in west Huntsville. Governors Drive is one of the main entrance points to the city from the east, carrying on average approximately 35,000 vehicles a day across Monte Sano Mountain.[2]
Road description
From the east, US-431 travels north up Monte Sano Mountain where it meets Dug Hill Road and becomes Governors Drive. From there, the four-lane highway turns to the west and meets Monte Sano Boulevard at the top of the mountain and then continues down the mountain, passing a Scenic Overlook and intersecting multiple surface streets along the way. Once down the mountain, the road widens to seven lanes where it intersects California Street and travels through the medical district. The highway continues to the west intersecting several major streets along the way.
The road then travels south of the oldest Baptist Church in Alabama, the First Baptist Church of Huntsville,[3] past the well-known Eggbeater Jesus then crosses over a former Louisville and Nashville Railroad rail line and meets Memorial Parkway. US-431 turns to the north, where Governors Drive continues through the intersection to the west and joins SR-53. The highway narrows down to five lanes at Clinton Avenue and continues to the west to meet with Interstate 565 (I-565) and Jordan Lane, where SR-53 continues to the north.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Huntsville, Madison County.
| mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 |   US 431 southDug Hill Road | Roadway continues south as US-431 | ||
| 2.0 | 3.2 | Monte Sano Boulevard | Leads to Monte Sano State Park | ||
| 3.9 | 6.3 | California Street | |||
| 4.1 | 6.6 | Franklin Street | |||
| 4.2 | 6.8 | Whitesburg Drive / Madison Street | Leads to Huntsville Hospital Emergency Room | ||
| 4.3 | 6.9 | Gallatin Street | Leads to Huntsville Hospital's main entrance | ||
| 4.5 | 7.2 | Downtown Gateway | Leads to Twickenham Square and Big Spring Park. This road will be an extension of Harvard Drive that will provide a better connection the Downtown area. The road is expected to be open in 2015[4] | ||
| 4.8 | 7.7 | Monroe Street | East Huntsville's main access to Downtown Huntsville | ||
| 5.0 | 8.0 |   US 231 / US 431 north / SR 53 south (Memorial Parkway) | West end of US-431 overlap; east end of SR-53 overlap | ||
| 5.9 | 9.5 | Clinton Avenue | West Huntsville's main access to Downtown Huntsville | ||
| 6.6 | 10.6 | I-565 SR 53 north (Jordan Lane) | Governors Drive ends as an exit ramp to either I-565 or Jordan Lane | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
History
Prior to 1955, before Memorial Parkway was constructed, Governors Drive was two separate streets. West of Whitesburg Drive, Governors Drive was known as Fifth Avenue and east of Whitesburg Drive, it was named Florida Short Route.[5] Fifth Avenue ended at Whitesburg Drive and Florida Short Route became Longwood Drive at Whitesburg Drive, one block south of Fifth Avenue. US-431 traveled along Florida Short Route and turned north at Whitesburg Drive, traveling through downtown.
When Memorial Parkway was built as a downtown bypass, US-431 needed to access the Parkway; so these two streets were connected and to allow US-431 to flow directly to Memorial Parkway. As a growing Huntsville consolidated, hundreds of streets were unified and renamed in 1956. The name Governors Drive was chosen for this road to honor the nine Alabama governors associated with Madison County history.[6]
Prior to the construction of Interstate 565 in the early 1990s, Governors Drive extended further west, connecting to Slaughter Road just outside the city of Madison. The interstate removed over five miles of roadway, cutting Governors Drive nearly in half. Portions of the road still exist while other portions were relocated to make room for the interstate highway. From Slaughter Road to the east, Governors Drive took on the name Madison Boulevard. A two lane road connecting Madison Boulevard to Old Madison Pike was created as a service road and took on the name Governors West. The roadway from Research Park Boulevard east to Jordan Lane was removed completely as the interstate was placed.
Transportation
Access to shuttle buses provided by the city of Huntsville are available along Governors Drive.[7]
See also
- University Drive, another major east–west highway in Huntsville
- Bob Wallace Avenue/Sparkman Drive, major highways that loop around Huntsville
References
- ^ a b Google (January 10, 2012). "Overview Map of Governors Drive" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ Traffic Count Map (PDF) (Map). City of Huntsville Traffic Engineering. 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
{{cite map}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ GIS Division. "First Baptist Church". Historic Markers. City of Huntsville, Alabama. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ "Renderings of Twickenham Square". Huntsville Development News. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ Alabama Department of Archives and History. "Map Showing Wells and Springs in Huntsville Area, Alabama, 1952". Geological Survey of Alabama. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ Roberts, Frances (October 21, 1971). "Henry B. Chase: A Man for All Ages" (PDF). Huntsville Historical Review. Vol. 1, no. 4. pp. 22–35. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ^ Public Transportation Division. "Public Transportation". City of Huntsville. Retrieved January 10, 2012.