U.S. Route 72 Alternate

{{Short description|Alternate highway route in Alabama, United States}}

{{Infobox road

|state=AL

|type=US-Alt

|route=72

|map=US 72A (AL) map.svg

|length_mi=67.526

|length_ref=Alabama Department of Transportation, [http://www.dot.state.al.us/NR/rdonlyres/7B15B300-359D-413A-A7FA-ED33C8C261CD/0/CountyMilePostMaps.pdf County Milepost Maps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625024846/http://www.dot.state.al.us/NR/rdonlyres/7B15B300-359D-413A-A7FA-ED33C8C261CD/0/CountyMilePostMaps.pdf |date=2008-06-25 }}, accessed September 2007

|length_round=3

|established=

|direction_a=West

|direction_b=East

|terminus_a={{jct|state=AL|US|43|US|72|SR|13|SR|17|SR|20}} at Muscle Shoals

|junction={{plainlist|

{{jct|state=AL|SR|157}} in Muscle Shoals
{{jct|state=AL|SR|101}} in Town Creek
{{jct|state=AL|SR|33}} in Courtland
{{jct|state=AL|US|31}} in Decatur
{{jct|state=AL|I|65|I|565|SR|20}} near Decatur
{{jct|state=AL|SR|255}} in Huntsville
{{jct|state=AL|SR|53}} in Huntsville
{{jct|state=AL|US|231|US|431}} in Huntsville

}}

|terminus_b={{jct|state=AL|I|565|US|72}} in Huntsville

|counties=Colbert, Lawrence, Morgan, Limestone, Madison

|spur_type=US

|spur_of=72

|previous_type=SR

|previous_route=19

|browse_route=SR 20

|next_type=SR

|next_route=21

}}

Alternate U.S. Route 72 (US 72 Alt.) exists in Alabama on the south side of the Tennessee River between Muscle Shoals and Decatur, while US 72 follows on the north side of the river between Florence and Athens. US 72 Alt. crosses the Tennessee River at Decatur, along with US 31, and follows the entire route of Interstate 565 (I-565). SR-20 was co-signed with US 72 Alt. from Muscle Shoals to Huntsville but has since been truncated to the junction of I-65 just east of Decatur.

Originally, US 72 Alt. turned off SR-20 on to SR-53 / Jordan Lane in Huntsville and followed it north {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} to rejoin with US 72. With the completion of I-565 in the early 1990s, US 72 Alt. was routed along with I-565 to the termination of I-565 at US 72 at Chapman Mountain.

Route description

US 72 Alt. begins at an intersection with US 43/US 72 in Muscle Shoals. Here, this road continues west as part of US 72. East of there, it intersects SR 157 at an at-grade intersection, where a concurrency begins.

A couple miles east of there, the roads split. SR 157 heads straight towards Moulton. US 72 Alt. turns due east at the interchange, heading towards Town Creek and Decatur.

US 72 Alt. enters Decatur after passing through Trinity, carrying SR 20. It serves as the northern terminus for The Beltline (SR 67) and continues eastward towards the town center. After traveling by the Old State Bank and the Dancy Polk House in the downtown area, US 72 Alt. intersects US 31. It continues over the "Steamboat Bill" Hudson Memorial Bridge, after which it and SR 20 continue east towards I-65 and I-565, while US 31 continues north towards Athens and Calhoun Community College. The route is essentially unsigned east of US 31.

After the interchange at I-65, US 72 Alt. becomes concurrent with I-565. The two routes run together for the entire length of I-565, passing through Mooresville, Madison, and Huntsville passing through intersections such as the University Drive and the elevated stretch. East of Downtown Huntsville, the routes ascend Chapman Mountain, where they intersect US 72, which serves as the eastern terminus for both I-565 and US 72A.

Major intersections

{{ALint|exit

|county=Colbert

|cspan=3

|location=Muscle Shoals

|mile=0.000

|road={{jct|state=AL|US|43|US|72|AL|20|name2=Lee Highway}}

|type=concur

|notes=Western terminus; western end of SR 20 overlap

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location=none

|mile=2.067

|road={{jct|state=AL|AL|133|AL|157|dir1=north|name1=Wilson Dam Road}}

|type=concur

|notes=Western end of SR 157 overlap

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location=none

|mile=4.386

|road={{jct|state=AL|AL|157|dir1=south|name1=University of North Alabama Highway}}

|type=concur

|notes=Eastern end of SR 157 overlap

}}

{{ALint|exit

|county=Lawrence

|cspan=2

|location=Town Creek

|mile=15.300

|road={{jct|state=AL|AL|101|name1=Wheeler Dam Highway|location1=Wheeler Dam}}

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location=Courtland

|mile=22.806

|road={{jct|state=AL|AL|33|dir1=south|name1=Wilderness Parkway}}

}}

{{ALint|exit

|county=Morgan

|cspan=4

|location=Decatur

|lspan=3

|mile=37.497

|road={{jctname|state=AL|AL|67|name1=State Docks Road|noshield=y}}

}}

{{ALint|exit

|mile=37.977

|road={{Jct|state=AL|AL|67|name1=Beltline Road}}

}}

{{ALint|exit

|type=concur

|mile=41.344

|road={{jct|state=AL|US|31|dir1=south|name1=6th Avenue}}

|notes=Western end of US 31 overlap

}}

{{Jctbridge|exit

|location_special=Tennessee River

|mile=41.681

|exit=

|bridge=Captain William J. Hudson "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridges

}}

{{ALint|exit

|county=Limestone

|cspan=5

|location=Decatur

|lspan=2

|mile=43.327

|road={{jct|state=AL|US|31|dir1=north}}

|type=concur

|notes=Interchange; eastern end of US 31 overlap; US 72 Alt. becomes unsigned

}}

{{ALint|exit

|mile=

|road=Mitchell Road

|notes=Interchange opened in 2023

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location1=Decatur

|location2=Huntsville

|location_group=city

|type=concur

|mile=52.175

|exit=1

|road={{jct|state=AL|I|65|I|565|dir2=begins|SR|20|dir3=ends|city1=Birmingham|location2=Nashville}}

|notes=Western end of I-565 overlap; western terminus of I-565; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) eastbound; I-65 exit 340 northbound & 340A-B southbound

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location=Huntsville

|lspan=4

|mile=

|exit=2

|road=Mooresville Road

}}

{{ALint|exit

|mile=55.652

|exit=3

|road=Greenbrier Road

|notes=Will be reconfigured into a partial cloverleaf interchange{{cite news |url = https://whnt.com/2018/10/25/aldot-work-to-begin-on-improved-i-565-interchange-near-auto-plant/ |title = ALDOT work to begin on improved I-565 interchange near auto plant |date = October 26, 2018 |publisher = WHNT-TV }}

}}

{{ALint|exit

|county1=Limestone

|county2=Madison

|mile=

|exit=7{{cite news |first=Keith |last=Clines |work=The Huntsville Times |title=I-565 exit numbers changed for County Line Road, airport, Wall Triana Highway |date=April 27, 2012 |url=http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/04/i-565_exit_numbers_changed_for.html |access-date=April 27, 2012}}

|road=Madison Boulevard, County Line Road

|notes=Former SR-20 east

}}

{{ALint|exit

|county=Madison

|cspan=14

|mile=

|exit=8

|road=Huntsville International Airport

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location=Madison

|lspan=2

|mile=

|exit=9{{cite news |first=Keith |last=Clines |work=The Huntsville Times |title=Speed limit sign mix-up on Chapman Mountain to be corrected |date=September 18, 2011 |url=http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/09/speed_limit_sign_mix-up_on_cha.html |access-date=September 18, 2011}}

|road=Wall-Triana Highway, Madison Boulevard

}}

{{ALint|exit

|mile=10.56

|exit=10{{cite web |url = https://whnt.com/news/madison/construction-starts-on-westbound-i-565-flyover-ramps-at-town-madison/amp/ |title = Construction starts on westbound I-565 flyover ramps at Town Madison |date = February 21, 2023 |accessdate = May 12, 2023 |publisher = WHNT-TV |first1 = Emily |last1 = Moessner }}

|type=incomplete

|road=Town Madison Boulevard

|notes=Eastbound entrance and exit completed; westbound entrance and exit under construction and widening of I-565 to accommodate the westbound ramp; possible extension to Huntsville-Decatur Highway planned

}}

{{ALint|exit

|location=Huntsville

|lspan=11

|mile=65.234

|exit=13

|road=Madison Boulevard

|type=incomplete

|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR-20 west; to be rebuilt into a full interchange for improved access to Redstone Arsenal via new Resolute Way roadway

}}

{{ALint|exit

|mile=

|exit=14

|road={{jct|state=AL|SR|255|dir1=north|name1=Research Park Boulevard|city1=Redstone Arsenal}} Gate 9

|notes=Signed as exits 14A (Gate 9) and 14B (SR-255) westbound

}}

{{ALint|exit

|mile=

|exit=15

|road=Madison Pike, Sparkman Drive, Bob Wallace Avenue

|notes=Entrance to U.S. Space and Rocket Center