State Route 20 (SR 20) is a
state highway in the
northern part of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. It travels from the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
state line, where it continues as
Tennessee State Route 69, northwest of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, east to
Interstate 65 (I-65), east of
Decatur. It crosses the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...
at Florence (with
US 43,
US 72,
SR 17, and
SR 157) and also at Decatur (with
US 31 and
US 72 Alt.)
US 72 Alt. follows SR 20 from the intersection with US 72 at
Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...
to I-65 east of Decatur, the entire stretch being four-laned.
Route description
SR 20 begins in
Waterloo at the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
state line. It junctions with the
Natchez Trace Parkway and enters
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
. In Florence, the route junctions with
SR 133. It continues south to parallel the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...
, heading east for just a mile as Coffee Road before junctioning with
US 72
U.S. Route 72 (US 72) is an east–west United States highway that travels for from southwestern Tennessee, throughout North Mississippi, North Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The highway's western terminus is in Memphis, Tennessee an ...
and
US 43
U.S. Route 43 (US 43) is a north–south United States Highway in the Southern states of Alabama and Tennessee. It travels from Prichard, Alabama, to Columbia, Tennessee. The highway's southern terminus is in Prichard, at an intersect ...
at a
Parclo
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
. It crosses the Tennessee River with the two routes,
SR 17, and
SR 13. This is a quintuple concurrency.
The routes enter
Colbert County
Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals.
The county is named i ...
and
Tuscumbia. The routes junction with
SR 184. They pass by a few restaurants and a
Planet Pepsi building near this junction. The routes reach
Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...
. Here, US 43/SR 17/SR 13 and US 72 turn to the south and west respectively, while SR 20 turns east with
U.S. 72 Alt. The two routes junction with SR 133 again and
SR 157. This is the southern terminus of SR 133 and the continuation of SR 157. The two routes split off at
Leighton. SR 157 continues south to
Moulton
Moulton may refer to:
Places in the United Kingdom
;In England
*Moulton, Cheshire
* Moulton, Lincolnshire
**Moulton Windmill
* Moulton St Mary, Norfolk
* Moulton, Northamptonshire
** Moulton College, agricultural college
** Moulton Park, indus ...
and
Cullman along the
right-of-way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
. US 72 Alt. and SR 20 turn to the direct east/west and eventually enter
Lawrence County.
The routes enter
Town Creek and junction with
AL-101. The routes continue to
Courtland and then junction with
SR 33. This stretch of road is mostly flat. The routes continue east to the
Morgan County line and enter
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
.
The stretch between here and
SR 67 is well-known for containing multiple industrial plants, such as
3M and
Nucor
Nucor Corporation is an American producer of steel and related products based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the largest steel producer in the United States, the largest "mini-mill" steelmaker (i.e. it uses electric arc furnaces to melt s ...
. The routes junction with SR 67 and gain the
Corridor V name. The routes pass through
Decatur, junctioning with
US 31
U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. It ...
. This junction is limited because there is no direct connection between US 31 north and SR 20 west. Traffic making that connection must use a short side road onto a short one-way street, which leads to SR 20. The routes continue north across the Tennessee River again and enter
Limestone County.
The routes lose US 31 at a Directional-T
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, usin ...
and continue east to
I-65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
.
I-565 begins at this point. US 72 Alt. continues along I-565 to
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
, and this is the end of SR 20.
Old SR 20, (also known as old highway 20) starts at the I-65 and I-565 interchange, it follows the same route as I-565 until the exit at
Mooresville, and at exit 7 also follows the same route as Madison Boulevard, and is the original road section that once served by SR 20, it ends after 5.8 miles (9.4 kilometers) at exit 13 at the 3 way intersection with
Governors
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
west.
History
SR 20 was started when Alabama renumbered
SR 41 with a statewide renumbering in 1929. The original route passed from US 72 at Muscle Shoals to US 31 at Decatur. This portion was named the Joe Wheeler Highway, and markers commemorating this are still located on East (Decatur at Railroad/Church Streets) and West (Tuscumbia-Old Lee Highway) ends. In 1931, SR 20 replaced
SR 2 following US 72 west to the
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
state line west of
Margerum, and in 1936 it was extended east to
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
.
1957 saw many changes to SR 20. It was replaced again by SR 2 along US 72 to the Mississippi state line, and, in turn, SR 20 replaced SR 2 traveling north to Florence and northwest of Florence to the Tennessee state line, forming a route popularly known as New Savannah Highway. SR 20 was also realigned to a much more direct route between Decatur and Huntsville, bypassing the town of
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
.
Beginning in the early 1980s, the eastern terminus of SR 20 began retreating to the west. The original terminus was at Clinton Avenue and
US 231/
US 431 in downtown Huntsville. With the construction of
I-565 in the early 1990s along the route of SR 20 east of
I-65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
, SR 20 was slowly pulled back to its current terminus at the junction of I-65 and becomes I-565.
Major intersections
Historic routes
Several sections of Old Highway 20 still exist:
*
Lauderdale County Road 200 through Sullivans Crossroads, Central Heights, Lovelace and McGee Town, known as Old Savannah Highway.
*
Lauderdale County Road 14 from McGee Town to
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
*
Colbert County
Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals.
The county is named i ...
Road 22 through
Leighton.
* Jefferson Street through
Courtland
* Old Trinity Road between
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
and
Decatur
* Old Highway 20 through
Mooresville – The section east of Mooresville is part of the 1957 alignment.
* 1936 Alignment
** Mooresville Road north of Mooresville through Belle Mina to Old Highway 20.
** Old Highway 20 east through Greenbrier to County Line Road.
** County Line Road north to Palmer Road.
** Palmer Road east to Downtown
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
.
** Old Madison Pike from Madison to I-565 exit 15.
* 1957 Alignment
** Madison Boulevard from I-565 exit 5 to I-565 exit 13.
*
Governors Drive in
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
from I-565 exit 17 to Clinton Avenue.
* Clinton Avenue in Huntsville to US 231/US 431,
Memorial Parkway.
Corridor V
Corridor V is part of the
Appalachian Development Highway System and follows the path of SR 20 between
Decatur and the eastern Terminus at I-65.
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alabama State Route 20
020
020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...
Decatur metropolitan area, Alabama
Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area
Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area
Transportation in Lauderdale County, Alabama
Transportation in Colbert County, Alabama
Transportation in Lawrence County, Alabama
Transportation in Morgan County, Alabama
Transportation in Limestone County, Alabama