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U.S. Route 431 in Alabama

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U.S. Route 431 marker
U.S. Route 431
State Route 1
Route information
Maintained by ALDOT
Length352.958 mi[1] (568.031 km)
Existed1954[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
South end

 US 231 / US 231 Bus. / US 431 Bus. / SR 1 / SR 210 in Dothan
Major intersections US 280 in Phenix City
US 80 in Phenix City
I-85 / US 29 in Opelika
I-20 east of Oxford
US 278 in Gadsden
US 411 in Gadsden
I-59 in Attalla
US 231 in Huntsville

 I-565 / US 72 Alt. in Huntsville
US 72 in Huntsville
North end US 231 / US 431 towards Fayetteville, TN
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountiesHouston, Henry, Barbour, Russell, Lee, Chambers, Randolph, Cleburne, Calhoun, Etowah, Marshall, Madison
Highway system
  • Alabama State Highway System
← US 411→ I-459
← SR 959SR-1→ SR 2

U.S. Highway 431 (US-431), internally designated by the Alabama Department of Transportation as State Route 1 (SR-1), is a major north–south state highway across the eastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. Although US-431's south end is in Dothan, SR-1 continues south for about 13 miles (21 km) along US-231 to the Florida state line.

Route description

Map of Dothan

State Route 1 is primarily the unsigned partner route assigned to U.S. Highway 431. The two routes are co-aligned from the southern terminus of US-431 at Dothan to the Tennessee state line. South of Dothan, State Route 1 is assigned to U.S. Highway 231. The two highways run north from Dothan through the Wiregrass region of southeastern Alabama through the towns of Headland and Abbeville en route to Eufaula, where it intersects U.S. Route 82. North of Eufaula, en route to Phenix City, the highway encounters some of the most sparsely populated parts of the state, only passing near the unincorporated communities of Pittsview, Glenville, and Seale in the 46 mile (74 km) drive between the two cities. In Phenix City, the highway junctions with U.S. Route 280 and U.S. Route 80. North of Phenix City, en route to Opelika, US 431 and US 280 join together for a concurrency, passing through the cities of Smiths Station and Salem on the way into Opelika. In Opelika, the two highways cross Interstate 85 and split in Opelika; US 431 continuing northeastward and US 280 northwestward. North of Opelika, the highway encounters rural terrain again, passing through the cities of LaFayette, Roanoke, and Wedowee en route to Anniston. In Oxford, just south of Anniston, the highway crosses Interstate 20 and goes through Anniston, northward into Gadsden, where it crosses Interstate 59 and continues northwestward, passing through Guntersville en route to Huntsville. In Huntsville, US-231 and US-431 (Governors Drive) junction again as Memorial Parkway, and State Route 1 is partnered with both U.S. Highways until they cross into Tennessee.

From its point of origin in Houston County, State Route 1 is aligned very close to the Alabama-Georgia border, coming within less than one mile (1.6 km) of the border at both Eufaula and Phenix City. At Phenix City, US-431 and unsigned State Route 1 begin a concurrency with U.S. Highway 280 and unsigned State Route 38 and turn to the northwest. At Opelika, US-431 and State Route 1 divert from US-280 and resume their northward orientation.

East of Oxford, State Route 1 and US-431 merge with westbound Interstate 20 and run concurrently with Interstate 20 from Exit 191 to Exit 188. At Oxford, State Route 1 and US-431 begin a gradual northwestward trajectory, passing through Anniston, Gadsden and Guntersville. The two routes resume their northward orientation upon merging with U.S. Highway 231 at Huntsville.

The portion through Oxford and Anniston is currently routed via Veterans Memorial Parkway as of December 21, 2015. Prior to this date, this portion was routed via Quintard Avenue, which constitutes the major north-south business and local route through these cities. It is a congested route with many traffic signals and no room for widening. [2]

Four lane routing

One of the criticisms of US-431 in its entirety from Kentucky to Alabama was that it was mainly a two lane road. ALDOT has prioritized four laning the route in Alabama as a viable north–south road corridor in the eastern part of the state.

  • Photo of the old alignment of US 431 between Pittsview and Barbour County line, scene to many vehicular fatalities until it was bypassed in 2008.
    Photo of the old alignment of US 431 between Pittsview and Barbour County line, scene to many vehicular fatalities until it was bypassed in 2008.

Of particular concern was the segment from Seale south to the Barbour County line, where rolling hills along the original alignment limit the visibility of oncoming traffic, contributing to poor decisions by motorists to pass, resulting in numerous head on collisions. In this segment alone, 31 people were killed in crashes between 1992 and 2006, leading Readers Digest to proclaim it one of "America's Deadliest Highways" in 2000.[3] After being contacted by and subsequently meeting the family of a fatal crash victim in 2003, ALDOT Director Joe McInnes decided to expedite the construction on the last remaining stretch of two lane road between Seale and the Barbour County line.[4] This 16 mile section was completed and opened in late 2010. The old alignment in Russell County is still open to traffic and is now labeled County Route 137.

Traveling south from Tennessee, as of mid-2009, US-431 is a four lane route to Oxford, Alabama. Then it reverts to a two-lane highway southward to Opelika, Alabama with a brief four lane stretch just south of Wedowee, Alabama. From Opelika southward to its southern terminus in Dothan, Alabama, US-431 is now open as a four-lane highway.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Houston​0.00.0Florida state lineSouthern terminus
​0.30.48
 SR 605 north		SR-605 southern terminus
​7.52012.102
 SR 109 south – Graceville		SR-109 northern terminus
Dothan12.219.6

 SR 1 / US 231 / US 231 Bus. / US 431 Bus. – Ozark, Enterprise, Ashford, Headland		South end of US 431, AL 1 follows US 231 south
12.72720.482 SR 53 – Cottonwood
14.45823.268
 US 84 / US 84 Bus. / SR 12 – Ashford		South end of concurrency with US 84
14.93324.032 SR 52 – Columbia
17.83828.707
 US 84 / US 431 Bus. / SR 1 / SR 210 – Ozark, Headland, Eufaula		North end of concurrency with AL 210/US 84; AL 1 follows Bus 431 through Dothan
HenryHeadland25.75441.447 SR 134 – Abbeville, Headland, Columbia
26.27042.277
 SR 173 north – Newville		SR-173 southern terminus
Abbeville39.74863.968 SR 27 – Ozark, Abbeville
42.39668.230 SR 10 – Blue Springs, Abbeville
Barbour​59.97096.512
 SR 95 south		SR-95 northern terminus
Eufaula61.90899.631
 SR 131 south – Bakerhill		SR-131 northern terminus
64.058103.091
 SR 30 west – Clayton, Troy		SR-30 eastern terminus
66.823107.541 US 82 (Barbour Street) / SR 6Begin concurrency with US-82
68.307109.929 US 82 / SR 6 – MontgomeryEnd concurrency with US-82
​74.949120.619
 SR 165 north – Cottonton		SR-165 southern terminus
RussellSeale96.895155.937

 SR 26 west / CR 18 east – Hurtsboro, Union Springs		SR-26 eastern terminus
99.105159.494

 SR 169 north / CR 138 east – Phenix City, Seale		SR-169 southern terminus
​109.155175.668
 SR 165 south (Fort Mitchell Road)		SR-165 northern terminus
Phenix City112.081180.377
 US 280 east / SR 38 – Birmingham, Opelika, Columbus, Atlanta		Begin concurrency with US-280
113.942183.372
 US 80 west / SR 8 – Montgomery		Begin concurrency with US-80
114.888184.894
 US 80 east / SR 8 – Columbus		End concurrency with US-80
LeeOpelika137.253220.887 I-85 / US 29 / US 280 / SR 38 – Montgomery, AtlantaEnd concurrency with US-280; I-85 Exit 62
ChambersWaverly149.840241.144
 SR 147 south – Auburn		SR-147 northern terminus
Lafayette158.859255.659 SR 50
160.794258.773
 SR 77 north – Wadley		SR-77 southern terminus
RandolphRoanoke180.783290.942 SR 22
Wedowee194.314312.718
 SR 48 west – R. L. Harris Dam		Begin concurrency with SR-48
194.437312.916
 SR 48 east (Woodland Avenue)		End concurrency with SR-48
CleburneHollis Crossroads212.540342.050 SR 9 – Ashland, Atlanta
​217.805350.523 SR 281SR-281 crosses US-431 on an overpass, but the two routes do not actually intersect. SR-281 is accessible via a county road just south of the overpass.
CalhounOxford221.328356.193
 I-20 east – Atlanta		I-20 Exit 191; Begin concurrency with I-20

 I-20 west – Birmingham		I-20 Exit 188; End concurrency with I-20
Lua error in Module:Jct at line 204: attempt to concatenate local 'link' (a nil value).
Anniston SR 21 (McClellan Boulevard) – Anniston, JacksonvillePartial cloverleaf interchange
Alexandria242.035389.518
 SR 144 west – Ohatchee		SR-144 eastern terminus
​247.070397.621
 SR 204 east – Jacksonville		SR-204 western terminus
EtowahGadsden258.458415.948
 US 278 east (Piedmont Cut-Off) / SR 74 – Hokes Bluff, Piedmont, Atlanta		Begin concurrency with US-278
260.232418.803

 SR 291 south (Hood Avenue) to I-759 – Gadsden State Community College		SR-291 northern terminus
260.519419.265 US 411 (Albert Rains Boulevard) / SR 25 – Rainbow City, Ashville, CentrePartial cloverleaf interchange
261.994421.638
 SR 211 north (North 12th Street)		SR-211 southern terminus
265.274426.917 I-59 – Birmingham, ChattanoogaI-59 Exit 183
Attalla266.117428.274 US 11 (3rd Street) / SR 7Begin concurrency with US-11
266.449428.808 US 11 (3rd Street) / SR 7End concurrency with US-11
268.363431.888
 US 278 west / SR 74 – Cullman		End concurrency with US-278
268.829432.638
 SR 77 south – Lincoln, Walnut Grove		SR-77 northern terminus
Sardis City277.880447.205
 SR 205 north		SR-205 southern terminus
MarshallBoaz280.544451.492 SR 168 (Mill Avenue) – Douglas
Albertville286.741461.465
 SR 75 to SR 68 – Geraldine
Guntersville292.423470.609
 SR 205 south		SR-205 northern terminus
294.742474.341
 SR 79 south – Blountsville, Birmingham		Begin concurrency with SR-79
295.822476.079
 SR 69 south – Cullman, Arab		SR-69 northern terminus
296.190476.672
 SR 227 south (Lusk Street) – Lake Guntersville State Park		SR-227 northern terminus
302.114486.205
 SR 79 north – Scottsboro		End concurrency with SR-79
MadisonHuntsville333.702537.041
 US 231 (Memorial Parkway) / SR 53 north (Governors Drive) – Arab, Decatur		Begin Northern concurrency with US-231; South end of northern signed segment of SR-53
334.700538.647
 I-565 / US 72 Alt.
335.207539.463
 US 72 west / SR 2 / University Drive		Begin concurrency with US-72
336.884542.162 US 72 / SR 2End concurrency with US-72
Hazel Green352.958568.031Tennessee State LineNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Milepost Maps (PDF) (Map). Cartography by ALDOT Bureau of Transportation Planning, Survey & Mapping Division. Alabama Department of Transportation. 1999.
  2. ^ Burkhalter, Eddie (27 September 2013). "Bids opened for final leg of Veterans Memorial Parkway". Anniston Star. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  3. ^ http://www.governorpress.alabama.gov/pr/co-2006-05-24-transportation.asp
  4. ^ "Long road to rehabilitation nearly over for east Alabama's deadly U.S. 431". AL.com.
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