Alternate U.S. Route 72 (US 72 Alt.) exists in

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 ...

on the south side of 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 names, ...

between

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

and Decatur, while US 72 follows on the north side of the river between

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. US 72A crosses the

at Decatur, along with U.S. Highway 31, and follows the entire route of

Interstate 565 Interstate 565 (I-565) is a Interstate spur that connects I-65 in Decatur with U.S. Route 72 (US 72) in Huntsville in the US state of Alabama. I-565 serves the cities of Decatur, Madison, and downtown Huntsville. It also prov ...

. SR-20 was co-signed with US 72A from Muscle Shoals to Huntsville but has since been truncated to the junction 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 ...

just east of Decatur. Originally, US 72A turned off SR-20 on to SR-53 / Jordan Lane in Huntsville and followed it north to rejoin with US 72. With the completion of I-565 in the early 1990s, US 72A was routed along with I-565 to the termination of I-565 at US 72 at Chapman Mountain.

Route description

US 72 Alt. begins at an

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their i ...

with US 43/ US 72 in Muscle Shoals. Here, this road continues west as part of US 72. East of there, it intersects SR 157 at an

at-grade intersection An intersection or an at-grade junction is a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet or cross at the same height, as opposed to an interchange, which uses bridges or tunnels to separate different roads. Major intersections a ...

, where a

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

begins. A couple miles east of there, the roads split. SR 157 heads straight towards

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, industria ...

. US 72 Alt. turns due east at the interchange, heading towards Town Creek and Decatur. US 72 Alt. enters Decatur after passing through

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 the F ...

, carrying SR 20. It serves as the northern terminus for The Beltline ( SR 67) and continues eastward towards the town center. After traveling by the Old State Bank and the

Dancy Polk House Dancy may refer to: People with the surname * Bill Dancy (born 1951), American baseball coach * Chanda Dancy (born 1978), American film composer, violinist, keyboardist, and singer * Deborah Dancy (born 1949), American painter, printmaker and mix ...

in the downtown area, US 72 Alt. intersects US 31. It continues over the "Steamboat Bill" Hudson Memorial Bridge, after which it and SR 20 continue east towards

and I-565, while US 31 continues north towards

and

Calhoun Community College Calhoun Community College is a public community college in Tanner, Alabama. It is the 2nd largest of the 24 two-year institutions that make up the Alabama Community College System. History The college was founded in 1946 and named after John C ...

. After the interchange at I-65, US 72A becomes concurrent with I-565. The two routes run together for the entire length of I-565, passing through Mooresville,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. East of Downtown Huntsville, the routes ascend Chapman Mountain, where they intersect US 72, which serves as the eastern terminus for both I-565 and US 72A.

Major intersections

References

{{reflist 72 Alternate 72 Alternate Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area Decatur metropolitan area, Alabama 072 Alternate

Alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

Transportation in Colbert County, Alabama Transportation in Lawrence County, Alabama Transportation in Morgan County, Alabama Transportation in Limestone County, Alabama Transportation in Madison County, Alabama

Route description

Major intersections

See also

References