page_title: Interstate 359
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Interstate 359 / History
caption_attribution_description: English: City map from the 1955 "Yellow Book" of Interstate Highway System plans Interstates in today's terms I-59 I-359
context_page_description: Interstate 359 is a part of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Alabama. It is a spur route that runs for 2.76 miles entirely within the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Its termini are just south of I-20/I-59 interchange on the south side of town and U.S. Highway 43 in downtown Tuscaloosa. The entire length is concurrent with U.S. Highway 11 and Alabama State Route 69, with both continuing as at grade thoroughfares north and south of the shorter Interstate.
context_section_description: In the early 1960s, local planners and elected officials stated the need for direct access to Interstate 59 from the city of Tuscaloosa. As annexation had not yet brought the city limits to the I-59 corridor, Interstate 359 was originally to be the only access provided to I-59 directly from Tuscaloosa. The route, as originally envisioned, was to have no exits for the duration of its route between its southern terminus at I-59 and its northern terminus at 15th Street in downtown Tuscaloosa.
  Actual planning for I-359 commenced in 1961, and by 1971, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) announced that federal funding would be sought for its construction. Planning for the corridor continued throughout the 1970s, only to stall briefly due to complications with the required environmental impact assessment associated with the project. By 1976, it was announced I-359 would have an exit both at 35th Street and 15th Street to improve access to both the University of Alabama and Stillman College.
  In 1977, ALDOT publicly unveiled the final routing of the route and presented it at a series of public meetings in August 1977. The selected route resulted in the slight relocation of 35th Street, the construction of a bridge along 31st Street over the freeway and the construction of a continuous viaduct along the final leg of the freeway through its 15th Street junction. Plans were also unveiled to add an additional travel lane in each direction along I-20/59 between its junction with I-359 and McFarland Boulevard.
  Following the acquisition of the necessary right-of-way, phasing of the project was released in June 1979. The first phase included the completion of the interchange at I-20/59 and lane expansion; the second phase included the segment between I-20/59 and the AGS railroad crossing; and the third phase included the elevated segment through the northern terminus in downtown Tuscaloosa. Construction would commence in 1980 on the first phase, with the bid for the second phase setting a then-record for cost for a Tuscaloosa road project at $11,884,450. As construction was wrapping up on phase two, phase three of the project again set a record cost at $17.4 million in January 1982. The phase included the completion of the viaduct section of the freeway, constructed at an average elevation of 22 feet (6.7 m) above grade. The first segment of I-359 opened to traffic in October 1982 between I-20/59 and Exit 1. Costing $41 million at completion, I-359 was officially dedicated and opened for traffic on September 13, 1983.
caption: Planning map for the Tuscaloosa area freeways from 1955
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