State Route 49 (SR 49) is an

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the central and eastern parts of the U.S. state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. The southern terminus of the highway is at an interchange with Interstate 85 (I-85) at

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

in Macon County. The northern terminus of the highway is at an intersection with SR 281 east of

Cheaha State Park Cheaha State Park is a public recreation area located in Clay and Cleburne counties in Alabama, USA. The park's include Cheaha Mountain, the highest point in the state. The park adjoins Talladega National Forest and is managed by the Alabama ...

in southern Cleburne County.

Route description

Alabama State Route 49 has its northern terminus at

Alabama State Route 281 State Route 281 in Alabama, also known as SR 281 and as Talladega Scenic Drive, extends from U.S. Route 78 in Alabama, U.S. Route 78/Alabama State Route 9, State Route 9 (US 78/SR 9) west of Heflin, Alabama, Heflin to the intersection of two fores ...

, which provides access to

and Oxford. This junction is at about 1200ft, 1200ft below the highest point in the state (Mount Cheaha), just a few miles southwest. This junction is in Cleburne County, which the route spends less than a mile in. Quickly descending down the mountain into rural Clay County, the route winds its way south through foothills to Lineville, where it junctions with

Alabama State Route 9 State Route 9 (SR 9) is one of the longest state highways in the U.S. state of Alabama. From the Florida state line north to Montgomery, SR 9 is the unsigned partner route of U.S. Route 331 (US 331). As a signed route, ...

. A few miles south of Lineville is a two-mile concurrency with

Alabama State Route 77 State Route 77 (SR 77) is a north–south state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. The southern terminus of the highway is at an intersection with U.S. Route 431 (US 431) near LaFayette. The northern ...

. Crossing into Tallapoosa County several miles later, the route crosses through Goldville before reaching New Site, the location of a mile-long concurrency with

Alabama State Route 22 State Route 22 (SR 22) is a state highway that extends from Safford in Dallas County to the Georgia state line near Roanoke in Randolph County. The route travels across most of the state from west to east. Route description Starting ...

. It then winds its way south through Jacksons' Gap and reaches Dadeville, the location of a mile-long concurrency with U.S. Route 280. After weaving through rural Tallapoosa County for several more miles, the route crosses into Macon County, where it enters Franklin. It makes a left turn onto 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 ...

of County Road 36, which carries it to its southern terminus at Interstate 85. Travelers can access Auburn, Atlanta, Montgomery, and Tuskegee from this intersection.

History

When SR 49 was formed in 1940, the highway traveled only from Tallassee to Dadeville. As a result of several northward extensions, by 1969 the highway extended to an intersection with US 78 near Heflin. In 1973, the highway was extended southward to its current terminus at I-85 in Macon County. When SR 281 was formed in 1995, the northernmost section of the route was truncated.

Major intersections

References

{{reflist 049 Transportation in Macon County, Alabama Transportation in Tallapoosa County, Alabama Transportation in Clay County, Alabama Transportation in Cleburne County, Alabama

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References