Alabama State Route 53
State Route 53 (SR 53) is a 345.287-mile (555.686 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Alabama. The majority, between Dothan and Huntsville, is signed as U.S. Route 231 (US 231), but the two ends – south to Florida and north to I-65/US 31 near Tennessee – are independent. In those areas, US 231 uses SR 1, sharing the route with US 431 north of Huntsville, where it is referred to as Memorial Parkway.
State Route 53 | ||||
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Standalone sections of SR 53 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ALDOT | ||||
| Length | 345.287 mi[1] (555.686 km) Most of length signed as US 231 | |||
| Southern standalone section | ||||
| Length | 20.137 mi[1] (32.407 km) | |||
| South end |  SR 71 towards Marianna, Fla. | |||
| North end |    US 231 Bus. / US 431 Bus. at Dothan | |||
| Northern standalone section | ||||
| Length | 28.423 mi (45.742 km) | |||
| South end | US 231 / US 431 in Huntsville | |||
| Major intersections |  I-565 in Huntsville | |||
| North end |   I-65 / US 31 near Ardmore | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Alabama | |||
| Counties | Houston, Dale, Coffee, Pike, Montgomery, Elmore, Coosa, Talladega, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, Cullman, Marshall, Morgan, Madison, Limestone | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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An 18-mile-long (29 km) stretch of SR 53, from Research Park Boulevard in Huntsville to just south of Ardmore, is designated as the "Paul Luther Bolden Memorial Highway" in honor of Paul L. Bolden, a Medal of Honor recipient and Madison County's most-decorated World War II veteran.[2]
Route description
Beginning at its southern terminus at SR 71, SR 53 assumes a slight northwesterly trajectory as it travels through Dothan, where it joins US 231, heading towards Montgomery. Between Dothan and Huntsville, SR 53 is the unsigned partner to US 231, however, only SR-53’s mile markers are present along the route.
At Huntsville, SR 53 diverts from US 231 and once again becomes a signed route until it reaches its northern terminus just west of Ardmore at I-65/US 31 crossing several major roads along the way including University and Sparkman Drives in Huntsville. The northbound lane of SR 53 actually enters Tennessee before going south to I-65. Tennessee State Route 7 travels concurrently with SR 53 on the state line and both Alabama and Tennessee mile markers are present on the highway.
This route is the rest of Governor's Drive—US-431's right-of-way—in Huntsville, becoming Jordan Lane after its two-part junction with I-565, featuring Jordan Lane and Governor's Drive. Jordan Lane is AL-53's right-of-way until its northern terminus in Ardmore.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | | 0.000 | 0.000 |  SR 71 south – Marianna | Florida state line; southern terminus | ||
| Dothan | 18.639 | 29.997 |    US 431 / SR 210 (Ross Clark Circle) to US 84 / US 231 south – Panama City, Enterprise, Ashford, Eufaula, Bainbridge | ||||
| 20.137 | 32.407 | US 231 Bus. south / US 431 Bus. south (South Oates Street / SR 1) – Marianna, Panama City | Northern end of signed SR 53; southern end of US 231 Bus./US 431 Bus./SR 1 concurrency | ||||
| 21.158 | 34.051 |  US 84 Bus. / SR 52 (Main Street / SR 12) – Dothan Civic Center | |||||
| 22.072 | 35.521 |  US 431 Bus. north (Reeves Street / SR 1) – Headland, Eufaula | Northern end of US 431 Bus./SR 1 concurrency | ||||
| 24.007 | 38.636 | US 231 south / SR 210 (Ross Clark Circle) to US 431 north / US 84 – Enterprise, Panama City, Headland, Eufaula, Rip Hewes Stadium | Northern terminus of US 231 Bus.; southern end of US 231 concurrency | ||||
| SR 53 is the unsigned designation for US 231 for the next 292.857 miles (471.308 km) | |||||||
| Madison | Huntsville | 316.864 | 509.943 |  US 231 north / US 431 (Memorial Parkway / Governors Drive / SR 1) to I-565 – Guntersville, Monte Sano State Park | Interchange; northern end of US 231 concurrency; southern end of signed SR 53 | ||
| 318.548 | 512.653 |   I-565 / US 72 Alt. to I-65 / Jordan Lane – Decatur, Botanical Garden | I-565 exit 17 | ||||
| 319.915 | 514.853 | US 72 (University Drive / SR 2) – Alabama A&M University | |||||
| 324.449 | 522.150 |  SR 255 south (Research Park Boulevard) to US 72 / I-565 / MLK Boulevard | Interchange; northern terminus of SR 255 | ||||
| Limestone | Ardmore | 340.87 | 548.58 |   SR 7 begins / Stateline Road | Southern end of (TN) SR 7 concurrency along Tennessee state line | ||
| 341.77 | 550.03 |   SR 110 east (Bowman Street) – Fayetteville | Western terminus of (TN) SR 110 | ||||
| 342.07 | 550.51 |  SR 7 Truck north (Austin Street) | Southern terminus of (TN) SR 7 Truck | ||||
| 342.37 | 550.99 |  SR 7 north (Main Street west) | Northern end of (TN) SR 7 concurrency | ||||
| 342.878 | 551.809 |  SR 251 south (Ardmore Avenue south) | Old US 31 south; northern terminus of SR 251 | ||||
| | 345.287 | 555.686 | I-65 (US 31) – Birmingham, Nashville | Northern terminus; I-65 exit 365; road continues south as Upper Elkton Road | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- Alabama Department of Transportation. "Milepost Maps". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
- Huggins, Paul (August 21, 2013). "Paul Luther Bolden Memorial Highway honors Madison County's highest decorated WWII soldier". The Huntsville Times. Huntsville, AL: Advance Publications. Retrieved August 22, 2013.