Interstate 85 in Alabama

Interstate 85
Interstate 85
Route information
	Maintained by ALDOT
Length	80.008 mi (128.760 km)
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-65 / US 82 in Montgomery
	US 80 / US 231 / SR 21 in Montgomery; SR 81 near Tuskegee; US 29 in Auburn; US 280 / US 431 in Opelika; US 29 in Valley;
East end	I-85 at the Georgia state line near Valley
Location
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Montgomery, Macon, Lee, Chambers
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future; Alabama State Highway System; Interstate; US; State;

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Montgomery, Alabama, to Petersburg, Virginia. In Alabama, the Interstate Highway runs 80.008 miles (128.760 km) from I-65 in Montgomery north to the Georgia state line near Valley. I-85 is the primary highway between Montgomery and Atlanta. The Interstate also connects Montgomery with Tuskegee, Auburn, Opelika, and, indirectly, Phenix City and Columbus, Georgia.

Route description

I-85 begins at a six-ramp modified directional-T interchange with I-65 southwest of downtown Montgomery. In addition to the ramps to and from I-65, the terminating Interstate's dual carriageways continue west a short distance and become Day Street; the interchange also includes a ramp from southbound I-65 to Day Street and from Day Street to northbound I-65. I-85 heads east toward downtown Montgomery as an eight-lane freeway. The highway has a pair of half-diamond interchanges with Court Street (northbound exit, southbound entrance) and Union Street (southbound exit, northbound entrance). The one-way pair of Arba Street and South Street serve as frontage roads for the northbound and southbound lanes, respectively, along the southern edge of downtown. The interchanges provide access to the Alabama State Capitol and Alabama State University. Southeast of downtown Montgomery, I-85 has a pair of half-interchanges with Forest Avenue (northbound exit, southbound entrance) and Mulberry Street (southbound exit, northbound entrance).^[2]

I-85 leaves the core of Montgomery and has a diamond interchange with Ann Street and a six-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with Perry Hill Road. The freeway's next junction is with East Boulevard, which forms part of a circumferential highway around Montgomery; the partial cloverleaf interchange includes a flyover ramp from northbound East Boulevard to southbound I-85. East Boulevard carries US-231 and Alabama State Route 21 (SR-21) through the interchange and US-80 south from the interchange; US-80 joins I-85 heading east from Montgomery. I-85's interchange with SR-271 provides access to Auburn University at Montgomery. The Interstate drops to four lanes between SR-271 and the next interchange with SR-110 and SR-126 (Atlanta Highway), where the route leaves the city of Montgomery.^[2]

I-85 and US-80 parallel SR-126 east through the community of Mount Meigs and through an unused directional-T interchange. US-80 splits east onto Atlanta Highway at a diamond interchange, and I-85 heads east-north-east, leaving Montgomery County and entering Macon County at Line Creek. Another access to US-80 is provided at Shorter via an interchange with unsigned SR-138. The Interstate meets the southern end of SR-229 south of SR-229's crossing of the Tallapoosa River and the southern end of SR-49 near the town of Franklin. I-85's interchange with SR-81 connects the freeway with the Macon County seat of Tuskegee and Tuskegee University. The Interstate's final access to US-80 is via SR-186 (Wire Road), beyond which the freeway passes through a portion of Tuskegee National Forest.^[2]

I-85 continues northeast into Lee County. On the southern edge of Auburn, the freeway has an interchange with Auburn Technology Parkway. US-29 joins I-85 at its next interchange with College Street; SR-147 continues north along College Street toward Auburn University. I-85 and US-29 continue northeast through the city to an interchange with Bent Creek Road, which provides access to Auburn University Regional Airport. The freeway continues northeast into the city of Opelika, the county seat of Lee County. I-85 gains a second U.S. Highway concurrency at its four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with Gateway Drive, where US-280 joins from the north. The three highways cross over a Norfolk Southern Railway line just west of their four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with SR-51 and SR-169 south of downtown Opelika.^[2]

US-280 splits east toward Phenix City and Columbus at the next interchange with US-431. US-29 diverges from I-85 at the following interchange, and the Interstate leaves the city of Opelika beyond its junction with Andrews Road. The interstate enters Chambers County at its interchange with County Road 388 (CR-388), which leads to Cusseta. I-85 meets CR-208 in the unincorporated area of Huguley west of the city of Valley. Southbound I-85 has a welcome center between CR-208 and the freeway's final interchange in Alabama, a junction with US-29 between the cities of Valley to the south and Lanett to the north. I-85 crosses the Chattahoochee River on its way toward La Grange and Atlanta.^[2]

Exit list

County	Location	mi^[1]^[2]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Montgomery	Montgomery	0.000	0.000	—	I-65 / US 82 (SR-6) – Mobile, Birmingham	Southern terminus; I-65 exit 171; no access from eastbound Day Street to southbound I-65 or from northbound I-65 to Day Street
				1	Court Street	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
				1	Union Street	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
				2	Forest Avenue	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
				2	Mulberry Street	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
		3.004	4.834	3	Ann Street
				4	Perry Hill Road
		6.546	10.535	6	US 80 west (SR-8 west) / US 231 (SR-53) / SR 21 (East Boulevard)	South end of US-80 / SR-8 overlap
		9.037	14.544	9	SR 271 (Taylor Road) to US 231 (SR-53)	Auburn University at Montgomery
		11.009	17.717	11	SR 110 / SR 126 (Atlanta Highway) – Mitylene, Mount Meigs
		12.50	20.12	12	SR 108 south / I-685	Future I-85 re-routing
	Waugh	16.067	25.857	16	US 80 east (SR-8 east) – Mount Meigs, Waugh	North end of US-80 overlap
Macon	Shorter	22.216	35.753	22	SR 138 to US 80 – Shorter	SR-138 is unsigned from I-85
		26.058	41.936	26	SR 229 north – Tallassee
	Franklin	32.370	52.094	32	SR 49 north – Tuskegee, Franklin
	Tuskegee	38.818	62.472	38	SR 81 – Notasulga, Tuskegee
		42.311	68.093	42	SR 186 east (Wire Road) to US 80	Tuskegee National Forest
Lee	Auburn			50	Auburn Technology Parkway
		51.438	82.781	51	US 29 south (State Route 15 (Alabama)SR-15 south) / SR 147 (College Street) – Auburn	South end of US-29 / SR-15 overlap
				57	Bent Creek Road
	Opelika	58.754	94.555	58	US 280 west (SR-38 west / Gateway Drive)	South end of US-280 / SR-38 overlap
		60.773	97.805	60	SR 51 / SR 169 – Opelika, Hurtsboro
		62.197	100.096	62	US 280 east (SR-38 east) / US 431 (SR-1) – Opelika, Phenix City	North end of US-280 / SR-38 overlap
		64.551	103.885	64	US 29 north (SR-15 north) – Opelika	North end of US-29 / SR-15 overlap
				66	Andrews Road To US 29
Chambers		70.394	113.288	70	CR 388 – Cusseta
	Huguley	76.908	123.771	77	CR 208 – Valley, Huguley
	Valley	79.365	127.726	79	US 29 (SR-15) – Lanett, Valley
	Chattahoochee River	80.008	128.760	—	I-85 north – Atlanta	Northern terminus of I-85 in Alabama; Georgia state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access