Interstate 59

Interstate 59 Louisiana
US 11 south at I-59/MS 607 - Nicholson
Interstate 59 Alabama
Interstate 59 Georgia
Slidell, LA ↔ Wildwood, GA•445.23 miles•3 Branch Routes

Overview

Interstate 59 angles northeasterly from New Orleans through the Deep South to north Georgia outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. The freeway combines with I-20 along a 153 mile long overlap between Meridian, Mississippi and Birmingham, Alabama marking one of the longer concurrencies in the Interstate System. U.S. 11 follows the entire length of I-59 as well as I-81; the likely reason why these two highways do not carry the same number is the lengthy stretch of Interstate 75 that follows U.S. 11 between Chattanooga and Knoxville.

Although never actually making it into New Orleans, Interstate 59 provides an important evacuation and trucking route for the central Gulf Coast. The south end is located at the same interchange as the eastern end of Interstate 12, where I-10 curves from the greater New Orleans area eastward to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Previous plans called for I-59 to be routed south along I-10 into New Orleans, but those changed with the decision to route I-12 north of Lake Pontchartrain.

Heading north from Louisiana, Interstate 59 follows a forested route through Mississippi, which is a general constant along most Deep South freeways. Hattiesburg, home of the University of Southern Mississippi, Laurel and Meridian are all important destinations in Mississippi. The freeway navigated along older urban stretches through the latter two cities. Of those, the S-curve in Laurel was notorious for its tight radii, narrow bridges and short exit ramps. It was modernized by September 2009.

I-59 north combines with I-20 east into Meridian, Mississippi.
Interstate 59 north one mile ahead of the three-wye interchange (Exit 149) where the route joins I-20 for the lengthy overlap northeast to Birmingham, Alabama. 05/09/16

I-20 and I-59 combine from a point just west of Meridian, Mississippi northeasterly to Tuscaloosa, where Interstate 359 spurs northward toward Downtown and the University of Alabama. The pair split with Interstate 459, the Birmingham belt line, at Bessemer City, as they bee line for Downtown Birmingham and an elevated viaduct east of the "Malfunction Junction" interchange with I-65.

A four year $450 million project replaced the roadways built in 1971 along I-59/20 between I-65 and U.S. 31/280 (Red Mountain Expressway) in Birmingham with a new viaduct system. The first of three phases for the work commenced in September 2015 at the exchange with I-65. Phase II completed work at Malfunction Junction by late 2018. Phase III involved the entire shutdown of I-59/20 by Downtown so that crews could demolish the old roadway and replace it. The new bridge system fully opened to traffic following a Dedication Ceremony attended by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on January 17, 2020.4 Associated construction on the I-59 / I-20 Bridge Replacement Project continued throughout 2020.

East from Downtown, I-20/59 part ways by Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) to Irondale and Trussville respectively. The section of Interstate 59 northeast of Birmingham straddles the southern reaches of the Appalachian Mountains along a scenic route. I-59 serves Gadsden along this stretch with Interstate 759, a short freeway spur. I-59 enters Georgia and eventually connects with I-24, which leads east to I-75 at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Mileage by State

Louisiana11.48 mi
Mississippi171.72 mi
Alabama241.36 mi
Georgia20.67 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

Parallel U.S. Routes

Interstate 59 follows U.S. 11 for its entirety between Slidell, Louisiana and Wildwood, Georgia. Short overlaps bring U.S. 98 onto I-59 along the west side of Hattiesburg, U.S. 84 onto I-59 through Laurel and U.S. 80 alongside I-20/59 at Meridian, Mississippi.

U.S. 11/80 combine from Meridian east to Cuba, Alabama. Northeast between Eutaw and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, parallel U.S. 11 combines with U.S. 43. Within Birmingham, U.S. 78 ties into the I-59/20 overlap both west of Downtown and east at Irondale. U.S. 411 mirrors the course of I-59 northeast from Leeds to Gadsden and Weiss Lake in Alabama as well.

History

Within Louisiana, Interstate 59 was constructed first across the Pearl River as the replacement route for U.S. 11 at St. Rose in 1958. The stretch southward into Slidell, along with I-10 south to the Twin Bridges opened in 1965-66.

Interstate 59 in Mississippi opened initially from the Louisiana line toward Picayune and from Hattiesburg to Laurel in 1963. All of the route south of the overlap with I-20 was completed by 1969.2

Built in 1961, the S-curve in Laurel, Mississippi routed I-59 by an adjacent hospital and public housing project. The 0.75 mile long stretch was limited to a 40 MPH speed limit. Starting in 2005, work redesigned the freeway onto a new six lane 1,980 foot long elevated viaduct with improved geometry. Construction commenced in June 2006, leading to an August 2008 opening of the new northbound lanes and an overall completion in September 2009. Additional funding remained from the original S-curve project, resulting in the widening of two more miles of I-59 heading northward. This included expanding the freeway footprint and widening the median from four to 15 feet. That expansion project ran between October 2009 and Fall 2010.1

$16 million in road work took place between February 2002 and July 2004 at the three-wye interchange joining I-24 and I-59 in North Georgia. Work replaced 40 year old bridges and extended auxiliary lanes.3

I-59 Laurel - Meridian - 1967 Map
Interstate 59 corridor between Hattiesburg and Meridian, 1967 Interstate 59 was completed from Heidelberg (MS 528) north to the west split with Interstate 20 by 1969.2
Northwest Georgia - 1970
Interstate 59 in North Georgia – 1970 Georgia Official Highway Map Completion of Interstate 59 through North Georgia occurred in 1971.

North End Interstate 24 ‐ Wildwood, GA

Interstate 59 North at Interstate 24

I-59 north at I-24 - Wildwood, GA

The final push of Interstate 59 north takes the freeway between Tatum Mountain and Slygo Ridge to the unnumbered three-wye interchange with I-24. The initial guide sign appears at the Dugan Loop Road overpass. 09/07/20

I-59 north at I-24 - Wildwood, GA I-59 north at I-24 - Wildwood, GA I-59 north at I-24 - Wildwood, GA

Interstate 24 West at Interstate 59

I-24 west at I-59 - Wildwood, GA

The exit numbering sequence from Tennessee extends into Dade County, Georgia, where Interstate 24 meets I-59 south at Exit 167. 07/26/22

I-24 west at I-59 - Wildwood, GA I-24 west at I-59 - Wildwood, GA I-24 west at I-59 - Wildwood, GA I-24 west at I-59 - Wildwood, GA

Interstate 24 East at Interstate 59

I-24 east at I-59 - Whiteside, TN

Curving south between Windy and Aetna Mountains, I-24 advances to the Georgia state line, the boundary between Central and Eastern time zones, and Interstate 59. The time zone boundary follows the Alabama/Georgia line to the south and circumvents Chattanooga along the Marion/Hamilton County line to the east. Photo by Chris Patriarca (02/01/03).

I-24 east at I-59 - Whiteside, TN I-24 east at I-59 - Whiteside, TN I-24 east at I-59 - Wildwood, GA I-24 east at I-59 - Wildwood, GA

North End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

Interstate 59 North at Interstate 24

I-59 north at I-24 - 2003

This ground level sign for I-24 was replaced with a new sign attached to the adjacent Dugan Loop Road overpass. Interstate 24 dips into the Peach State for 4.12 miles as it circumvents Raccoon Mountain. Photo by Chris Patriarca (02/01/03).

I-59 north at I-24 - 2003 I-59 north at I-24 - 2003 I-59 north at I-24 - 2003

Interstate 24 West at Interstate 59

I-24 west at I-59 - 2003

This original button copy sign for Interstate 59 south was replaced sometime after August 2003. Photo by Chris Patriarca (07/14/03).

I-24 west at I-59 - 2003 I-24 west at I-59 - 2003 I-24 west at I-59 - 2003

Interstate 24 East at Interstate 59

I-24 east at I-59 - 2003

Emerging from Paris Hollow along Interstate 24 east ahead of I-59 south. Button copy signs remained in use along the I-24 east approach to I-59 (Exit 167) until Summer 2003. Photo by Chris Patriarca (02/01/03).

I-24 east at I-59 - 2003 I-24 east at I-59 - 1984 I-24 east at I-59 - 2003

South End Interstate 10 Interstate 12 ‐ Slidell, LA

Interstate 59 South at Interstate 10 Interstate 12

I-59 south at I-12/10 - Slidell, LA

Having just split with U.S. 11 at Exit 3, Interstate 59 southbound presses towards the terminus with I-10 and I-12 at Exits 1 A/B. 10/12/16

I-59 south at I-12/10 - Slidell, LA I-59 south at I-12/10 - Slidell, LA I-59 south at I-12/10 - Slidell, LA I-59 south at I-12/10 - Slidell, LA

Interstate 10 East at Interstate 12Interstate 59

I-10 east at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA

Eastbound I-10 meets U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard) 1.5 miles ahead of I-12/59. Maintaining at least six overall lanes through the city of Slidell, Interstate 10 reduces to four lanes east of the exchange with I-12 and I-59. 05/11/22

I-10 east at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA I-10 east at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA I-10 east at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA

Interstate 12 East at Interstate 10 Interstate 59

I-12 east at I-10/59 - Slidell, LA

Exit 85 B loops onto Interstate 59 north. I-59 crosses the Mississippi state line in 11.5 miles near Nicholson and reaches Hattiesburg in 73 miles. 10/08/21

I-12 east at I-10/59 - Slidell, LA I-12 east at I-10/59 - Slidell, LA

Interstate 10 West at Interstate 12 Interstate 59

I-10 west at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA

Spanning the West Pearl River, Interstate 10 continues two miles past the Louisiana Welcome Center to Exit 267 for I-12 west and I-59 north. 05/19/14

I-10 west at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA I-10 west at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA I-10 west at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA I-10 west at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA I-10 west at I-12/59 - Slidell, LA

Interstate 59 North

I-59 north after I-12 - Slidell, LA

Interstate 59 travels between several residential neighborhoods en route to Pearl River. Pictured here is the first northbound shield. 05/19/14

South End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

Interstate 59 at Interstate 10

I-59 south at I-12/10 - 2001

Since removed, this sign bridge referenced the succeeding connections with Interstate 10 beyond Exit 1 A to I-12 west. 08/20/01

I-59 south at I-12/10 - 2001 I-10 east at I-12/59 - 2000

References

  1. Infrastructure Quarterly. Interstate 59 - Realigned interstate trades hazardous history for a safer future. 2009 Volume 1 Issue 2. Retrieved from https://garverusa.com/markets/transportation/42/interstate-59/
  2. Froehlig, A. (2005, May 25). Interstate Highway 59. Retrieved from http://www.ajfroggie.com/roads/msroutes/i059.htm
  3. "Improving highway safety - Accidents down on I-24, I-59 after improvements, officials say." Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN), September 14, 2004.
  4. Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). (2020, January 19). I-59/20 Bridge Project Update. [Press release]. Retrieved from https://5920bridge.com/bridge-opening-update-01-21-20/
Updated April 12, 2023