Alabama State Route 79

State Route 79 marker
State Route 79
Map
Route information
Maintained by ALDOT
Length117 mi[1] (188 km)
Major junctions
South end I-20 / I-59 at Birmingham
Major intersections US 231 at Cleveland
US 278 east of Blountsvile
US 431 at Guntersville
SR 69 at Guntersville
SR 227 at Guntersville
US 72 at Scottsboro
North end SR 16 at the Tennessee state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountiesJefferson, Blount, Marshall, Jackson
Highway system
  • Alabama State Highway System
US 78 US 80

State Route 79 (SR 79) is a 117-mile-long (188 km) state highway that extends northeastward from Birmingham to the Tennessee state line. Prior to the completion of Interstate 65 (I-65), SR 79 was the southern part of the route that connected Birmingham and Huntsville.

The southern terminus of SR 79 is at an interchange of Tallapoosa Street with I-20/I-59 (exit 128) near Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. Prior to the completion of I-20/I-59, the terminus of SR 79 was at an intersection with US 31, US 78, and US 280 at the intersection of 8th Avenue North and 24th Street in downtown Birmingham.

Route description

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SR 79 begins at a modified-diamond-interchange with I-20/59 in east Birmingham, near Birmingham Int'l Airport. The route turns northeast on a four-lane divided highway and continues in this direction until it reaches Pinson. It junctions with SR 151, which leads to SR 75. The route loses its four-lane divided highway status and becomes a two-lane road, crossing into Blount County.

In southern Blount County, there are no major junctions until it reaches Cleveland. It junctions with SR 160 and continues north for just about a mile, reaching US 231. It continues on its right-of-way until it crosses the Locust Fork and leaves US 231 in Blountsville. It junctions with US 278 a few miles later. It eventually enters Marshall County.

It eventually reaches Guntersville. It junctions with US 431. It maintains a concurrency with it, junctioning with SR 69 and SR 227 before splitting off from US 431 and heading north to the Jackson County line.

In Jackson County, there are no major junctions until it turns off of its right-of-way, with its right-of-way becoming SR 279, in Scottsboro. It junctions with US 72 and SR 35 before leaving the city. In Skyline, the route junctions with SR 146. It continues north until it crosses the Tennessee state line, where it continues as Tennessee State Route 16 (SR 16) towards Winchester, TN.

Future

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Due to population growth in the area, there are long range plans to widen SR 79 to four lanes into southwestern Blount County.

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
JeffersonBirmingham0.0000.00040th Street NorthSouthern terminus
0.0990.159 I-20 / I-59 – Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, AtlantaI-20/I-59 exit 128
Pinson12.29619.788


SR 151 north / CR 131 west (Narrows Road) to SR 75 – Oneonta
Southern terminus of SR 151
I-422Future interchange; I-422 exit 25 (funded, to be completed by 2028)[2]
BlountCleveland34.39555.353 SR 160 – Nectar, Hayden, Cleveland
35.94857.853
US 231 south (SR 53) – Montgomery, Oneonta
Southern end of US 231/SR 53 concurrency
37.76660.778
US 231 north (SR 53) – Blountsville, Arab
Northern end of US 231/SR 53 concurrency
Brooksville48.86278.636 US 278 (SR 74) – Cullman, Gadsden
MarshallGuntersville64.279103.447
US 431 south (SR 1) – Albertville, Gadsden
Southern end of US 431/SR 1 concurrency
65.359105.185
SR 69 south – Cullman, Arab, Tuscaloosa, Jackson
Northern terminus of SR 69
65.727105.777
SR 227 north – Lake Guntersville State Park, Bucks Pocket State Park
Southern terminus of SR 227
71.651115.311
US 431 north (SR 1) – Huntsville
Northern end of US 431/SR 1 concurrency
JacksonScottsboro88.671142.702
SR 279 north – Scottsboro
Southern terminus of SR 279
90.430145.533 US 72 (SR 2) – Huntsville, Scottsboro
95.303153.375 SR 35 – Woodville, Scottsboro
107.353172.768

SR 146 west / CR 107 south
Eastern terminus of SR 146
117.605189.267
SR 16 north (Rowe Gap Road) – Winchester
Continuation into Tennessee
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^ a b Alabama Department of Transportation. "Milepost Maps". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  2. ^ "Gov. Kay Ivey: Construction will resume soon on Northern Beltline". MSN. Retrieved 13 April 2023.