Historical U.S. Route Termini in Alabama

This page is a compilation of all the historic U.S. route termini within the state of Alabama.  The main sources for the information below are historic state highway maps from ALDOT and it's "Highway Department" predecessor, both from my own extensive Alabama map collection and that at the University of Alabama.  Several references to R.V. Droz's excellent U.S. Highways website are also included.  Comments and corrections on these route termini will always be accepted in my E-mail box.

  An original US route, it originally ended in Tuskegee, likely at what is now the US 29/US 80/AL 81 junction (which revolves partially around the town square).  Extended south in 1934, its likely terminus in 1934 and 1935 was at today's US 29/US 31/AL 41 junction in Brewton.  Maps are unclear on when it was extended further south to replace US 331 #1 between Flomaton and Pensacola...RVDroz's site suggests 1936, although US 331 remained on ALDOT maps as late as 1939.

  This route's original terminus in Mobile is impossible to place based on the early maps.  I can conjecture four possibilities:  1) At today's US 90/US 98 intersection on the east side of the Bankhead Tunnel (approximately where old US 90 turned north towards the original Cochrane-Africatown bridge, before the Bankhead Tunnel opened in 1940);  2)  At the St. Louis St/Joachim St intersection downtown...US 90 turned from north to east here;  3) At the Government St/Royal St intersection in downtown Mobile...this is where US 90 turned back towards the west;  4) At the Government St/Broad St intersection, which was also the original terminus of US 45.

By 1949, you can rule out possibilities #2 and #3 above.  Eventually (although exactly when is impossible to tell at this point), US 31's terminus was located at #1 above.  Then in 1991 (according to RVDroz's site), the multiplex with US 90/98 was dropped and it was truncated to its current terminus.

  First appeared in 1934, and then apparently only in Alabama.  Original northern terminus was probably at the state line northeast of Green Hill (along today's CR 130), until it was extended into Tennessee in 1939 (that extension according to RVDroz).

For the southern terminus, it's possible that both US 43 and US 45 extended south to US 90.  US 45 did, being an original US route, but it's impossible to tell from the maps if US 43 did too.  So from 1934 through 1954, US 43 ended either at St Stephens Rd/S. Craft Hwy, or at Government St/Broad St.

In 1955, US 98 was created through Alabama.  Also at the same time, ALT US 43 appeared using Wilson Ave instead of Craft Hwy, while mainline US 43 followed Telegraph Rd into Mobile, made a turn on St. Louis St, and either ended at US 98 at the St. Louis St/Springhill Ave intersection or continued south on Broad St to end at US 90 at Government St/Broad St.

In 1962, a slight realignment of streets directly connected Beauregard St with Broad St.  If US 43's terminus was at US 98, this moved the new terminus to the Broad St/Springhill Ave intersection.  However, Alex Nitzman reported in the late '90s that US 43 END signage was located at Government St/Broad St, indicating a terminus at US 90.

In January, 2002, US 43 was truncated to the Telegraph Rd/Bay Bridge Rd "one-quadrant interchange" in Prichard.  Bay Bridge Rd became US 90 at the same time, going across the Cochrane-Africatown Bridge.

  An original US route.  Its original terminus was at Government St/Broad St.  In 1955, when US 98 was created through Alabama, US 45 was truncated to its present terminus at Springhill Ave/St. Stephens Rd.

  US 82 was extended into Alabama in 1934.  Hard to tell from the maps whether it ended at US 43 in Northport or duplexed with US 43 to end at US 11 in Tuscaloosa.  If the former, it ended at the 5th St/Rice Mine Rd/Bridge Ave intersection (just east of today's 5th St interchange on US 43/AL 69).  If the latter, it ended at University Blvd/Greensboro Ave.

US 82 was extended east of Tuscaloosa in 1948.  However, according to RVDroz's site, US 82 was not extended into Georgia until 1950.  If this is the case, then for 2 years US 82's eastern terminus was either at what is today's US 82/US 431 split north of Eufaula, or it ended where the US 82 bridge at Eufaula crosses the state line.

An original US highway, US 84's original terminus was in Dothan, likely at today's BUSINESS US 84/BUSINESS US 231 intersection.  This only lasted a few years, as US 84 was extended west to Texas in 1934.

That said, it should be noted that, due to a lack of connecting roads, ALDOT maps showed a gap in US 84 between Chatom, AL and the Mississippi line.  This lasted until around 1951, when what is now AL 56 (and a small bit of MS 42) was completed between Chatom, AL and US 45.

Semi-OT...not related to termini, but for the curious, US 84 did not move onto its current alignment between Grove Hill, AL and Waynesboro, MS until ca. 1967, even though the Tombigbee River bridge at Coffeeville was completed about 8 years earlier.

  An original US highway, US 231's terminus in Montgomery was at the Fairview Ave/Perry St intersection until 1953 when it was extended north out of Alabama.

  First appeared ca. 1930.  Replaced in 1954 by US 431.  Southern terminus was likely at today's BUSINESS US 231/BUSINESS US 431 junction during its whole existance.

The 1953 map suggests that US 241's northern terminus was truncated to Huntsville, when US 231 was extended north.  This northern terminus was probably today's Whitesburg Dr/US 431 intersection, as I don't think Memorial Pkwy existed back then (it did by 1957, when a Huntsville inset first appeared).  Either way, this only lasted 1 year, as US 431 replaced US 241 in 1954.

Appeared in 1951, with its eastern terminus at the present-day US 43/US 278/AL 142 junction (yes it did follow AL 142 at first).  This only lasted about 4 years, as in 1955 it was extended east into Georgia.

  Two different US 331's have existed in Alabama:

#1:  An original US route, its terminus was likely at today's US 31/US 29 South junction until it was replaced by US 29 ca. 1936.

#2:  First appeared in 1953.  Likely initial terminus was at the Fairview Ave/Norman Bridge Rd intersection (at the time, Fairview carried US 82/US 231).  There's a possibility that it extended to Fairview/Perry or even Perry/Madison downtown, but I have my doubts.

By 1957, Montgomery's South Blvd was opened, with US 82 and US 231 rerouted to it, which would then put US 331's northern terminus at the South Blvd/Norman Bridge Rd intersection (unless they kept it on a duplex with US 231 up to Fairview/Norman Bridge).

Montgomery's Eastern Blvd opened ca. 1967, and it's likely this is when US 231 was moved to that road, which opened the way for US 331 to be extended north to the Fairview Ave/Hull St, ending at US 80.  On the flip side of that, maps suggest that US 231 was routed both through town and along Eastern Blvd between 1967 and 1986.  RVDroz's website suggests the existence of a BUSINESS US 231 around this timeframe, so it's possible US 331's terminus remained at Fairview/Norman Bridge or South Blvd/Norman Bridge.

A realignment of US 331 south of South Blvd was completed around 1979, lining up with Court St.  Assuming US 331 did not extend north of South Blvd at this time, its new terminus would have then been at South Blvd/Court St.

Ca. 1987, whatever US 80 and US 231 presence existed through downtown no longer existed, and it's clear that in 1987, US 331's northern terminus was at Madison Ave/Union St northbound, and Madison Ave/Decatur St southbound.

This didn't last long, as by 1991, US 331 was at its present-day terminus.

  First shows up on the 1934 map.  Original terminus was at 3rd and Broad in downtown Gadsden. (note to RVDroz:  US 11 also followed what is now AL 23 in addition to present-day US 411 along the stretch between Springville and Gadsden).

In 1953, US 411 was extended to near Springville, ending at today's US 11/AL 23 intersection.  Though there's evidence of an older road that went closer into Springville, the maps suggest a distance of 3 miles along US 11 between AL 174 in Springville and then-US 411.  This 3 mile distance correlates well with today's 11/23 junction.

The 1957 and 1958 maps show US 411's terminus at US 231 in Ashville, which originally lead me to suspect that perhaps US 411 never extended to Springville to begin with.

Then I got an E-mail response from Wayne Stephens from ALDOT regarding the historic terminus of US 411:

Froggie,

I have been assigned the task of answering your question concerning the history of US 411 through Gadsden.

I have talked with Mr. James D Hill a retired Project Engineer with ALDOT.  He has lived in Rainbow City all his life, so here is the history of US 411.

*        Before 1930 US411 was known as the Gadsden - Ashville Rd.
*        In the 1930's what is now US411 was known as US11 from Gadsden to Ashville
*        In the 1940's US 11 was constructed through Attalla for the old Camp Siebert during WWII this is how US 11 was changed to US411 the way it is known today.
*        Originally US 411 did not stop in Ashville it continued on to Springville on what is known today as Al. 23.
*        In 1959 it changed to the way it is shown today.

I hope this bit of history might be some help

Wayne Stephens
Project Engineer ALDOT

So US 411 indeed extended to Springville after all.  Then was extended to its current terminus in 1959.

  Appeared in 1954, with it's likely terminus at today's BUSINESS US 84/231/431 intersection (Main St/Oates St) in downtown Dothan.  The Ross Clark Circle opened in 1958, and a useable city inset did not appear on maps until 1983, so where US 431's terminus was during those 25 years is anyone's guess.  However, it's likely that it didn't move, given that the 1983-84 map still has US 431 ending in the middle of town.

The 1989-90 map suggests the current configuration, with US 431 ending at US 231 on the south side of the Ross Clark Circle, although the BUSINESS routes were not clearly shown on the map until the 1997-98 edition.

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Page last modified 17 March, 2006