Interstate 22

Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway System. Designated in 2012, I-22 follows the route of the older U.S. Route 78 (US 78). The freeway mainly spans rural areas and passes numerous small towns along its route, including Fulton, Tupelo, New Albany, and Holly Springs in Mississippi; and Jasper, Winfield, and Hamilton in Alabama.

I-22 was upgraded to Interstate Highway standards to close a gap in the Interstate Highway System, allowing for more direct connections between cities in the southeast with cities in the central part of the country. I-22 indirectly connects I-240, I-40, I-55, and I-69 in the Memphis metropolitan area via US 78 and I-269 with I-65, I-459, I-20, and I-59 in the Birmingham metro area.

Route description

I-22 serves as a connection between Birmingham and suburban Memphis, filling in a gap in the Interstate Highway System. It begins at an interchange with I-269 at Byhalia, Mississippi, approximately from downtown Memphis and travels southeast across northern Mississippi and Alabama, before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately north of downtown Birmingham, Alabama.

Mississippi

I-22 begins at an interchange with I-269 at Byhalia in northwestern Mississippi and continues across rural areas, connecting towns such as Fulton, Tupelo, New Albany, and Holly Springs.

Alabama

I-22 continues across rural areas in northwestern Alabama, and connects the towns of Jasper, Winfield, and Hamilton before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately north of downtown Birmingham.

History

The concept of a Memphis-to-Birmingham expressway was discussed as early as the 1950s, but did not move beyond talk for more than 20 years.

When studies for I-22 began, the highway was proposed to continue west to downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and end at I-240 and I-69. Several other proposals were also considered. One took I-22 along I-269 to I-55/I-69 and another took it along Crump Boulevard to end at I-55, but those plans never materialized.

The part of I-22 just east of Fulton, Mississippi, was approved by Congress as "Corridor X" in 1978, as a part of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and parts of I-22 have been under construction ever since. Corridor X was also designated as "High Priority Corridor 10" in the Federal National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, and as "High Priority Corridor 45" in later legislation. Over the many years of development, the project changed multiple times.

In 2004, Corridor X was designated as Future I-22 by Public Law Number 108-199, and the designation was made official on April 18, 2005. In Alabama and Mississippi, blue signs reading "FUTURE/I-22/CORRIDOR" at left and an ''I-22'' shield with "FUTURE" instead of "INTERSTATE" at the right were unveiled on April 18, 2005.

The first major completed section of the route between the Mississippi state line and Jasper was opened to traffic on November 22, 2005. Exits on the Jasper Bypass portion of I-22 were originally numbered using a kilometer-based sequence because, at the time this stretch was opened, it appeared that all highways in the US were going to be measured using the metric system. The final decision was made to remain using miles, and they have been renumbered according to the highway's mileposts. A segment between Graysville and Brookside was opened in June 2007, and another section of Future I-22 between Jasper and Graysville was opened in November 2007. A segment between Cherry Avenue in Forestdale to a point about short of I-65 near Fultondale, including an interchange with Coalburg Road, was opened in December 2009. Next came the connection of I-22 with I-65 and US 31. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) widened Coalburg Road from its interchange with I-22 southward to Daniel Payne Drive (which leads to I-65) to allow heavy trucks to use it; this project was nearly complete as of May 2015. Signs are now in place on Daniel Payne Drive (westbound) informing truckers that access to I-22 is not allowed from Daniel Payne Drive.

ALDOT was to award contracts in August 2009 for the construction of the final segment of I-22, including its large interchange with I-65 and US 31, with the construction to begin shortly afterward. Funding delays postponed these into 2010, however. On March 19, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the HIRE (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment) Act into law, which included an extension of federal highway funding through the end of 2010. This extension gave the ALDOT the opportunity to proceed with its plans for the construction of final segment of I-22 in Alabama. The opening of the bids for this project began on May 21, 2010. ALDOT announced on June 16, 2010, that the project has been awarded to the company Archer Western Contractors for $168.6 million. The project is the most expensive highway project ever undertaken in Jefferson County, and it is the highest-priced contract awarded by the ALDOT as of 2010.

On November 12, 2012, ALDOT's application for establishing I-22 was conditionally approved by AASHTO at a special committee, pending for MDOT to submit their own application for I-22 and FHWA approval. This therefore officially established the existence of I-22.

In April 2013, the first actual I-22 shields were deployed in Marion County, Alabama, immediately east of the Mississippi state line. Such signs will extend east at least through Walker County into the outskirts of Birmingham. On August 21, 2014, ALDOT reported that I-22's interchange with I-65 would not be completed until October 2015. The interchange's connections via exit 95 to I-65 and the continuation under I-65 as exit 95C at US 31 remained under construction. In March 2016, the interchange with I-65 and continuation to US 31 was still under construction. New lanes north and southbound were opened on I-65 passing through the interchange and construction and painting operations were carried out on the I-22 entrance and exit ramps. The interchange to I-65 opened to traffic on June 20, 2016, while the connector to US 31 remained under construction.

Mississippi officials announced May 5, 2015, that the state officially began the process to designate its portion as I-22. The two requirements to be able to apply for this designation were to upgrade the route to Interstate standards and to connect to an existing Interstate within 25 years; this was completed when I-269 was opened in December 2017. The I-65 interchange was opened in October 2015. The route was officially signed in Mississippi in a ceremony on October 23, 2015.

Exit list

Auxiliary routes

Interstate 222

Interstate 222 (I-222) is a future Auxiliary Interstate Highway to be a connector between I-22 and the proposed I-422 near Birmingham, Alabama. There will be no exits other than its termini. The highway has been proposed because an interchange directly between I-22 and I-422 cannot be built because of environmental issues. AASHTO approved the designation on May 18, 2012. Construction on this new route has not been scheduled at this time.

Interstate 422

I-422 is a future northwestern bypass of Birmingham, connecting between I-20/I-59, from the southwest, and I-59, in the northeast. It will also be connected with I-22 via I-222, in Brookside, located northwest of Birmingham. It was first proposed in May 2009 by US Congressman Spencer Bachus; on May 18, 2012, it was approved by AASHTO.

See also

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References

External links

Interstate Guide Profile for Interstate 22

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Transportation in DeSoto County, Mississippi
Transportation in Marshall County, Mississippi
Transportation in Benton County, Mississippi
Transportation in Union County, Mississippi
Transportation in Pontotoc County, Mississippi
Transportation in Lee County, Mississippi
Transportation in Itawamba County, Mississippi
Transportation in Marion County, Alabama
Transportation in Walker County, Alabama
Transportation in Jefferson County, Alabama