 State Route 55 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byALDOT | ||||
| Length | 58.758 mi[1] (94.562 km) | |||
| Existed | 1940–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  SR 85 at theFlorida state line nearFlorala | |||
| Major intersections |  US 331 inFlorala US 29 inAndalusia US 84 in Andalusia US 31 inMckenzie | |||
| North end |   I-65 /SR 106 inGeorgiana | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Alabama | |||
| Counties | Covington,Conecuh,Butler | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
State Route 55 (SR 55) is a 58.758-mile-long (94.562 km)state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state ofAlabama. The southern terminus of the highway is at theFlorida state line, where the highway continues asFlorida State Road 85 (SR 85). The northern terminus of the highway is at anintersection withSR 106 atGeorgiana in southernButler County.
SR 55 is a continuation of a route heading northward fromFort Walton Beach andCrestview, Florida. It enters the state at the border town ofFlorala, where it continues asFlorida State Road 85. As the highway heads towardsAndalusia, it travels through theConecuh National Forest.
The highway intersectsUS 29/US 84 at Andalusia, forming a briefwrong-way concurrency, as southbound US 29 shares the same roadway as northbound SR 55, as well as westbound US 84. SR 55 and US 84 are concurrent as they lead northwesterly from Andalusia. At the small community ofRiver Falls, SR 55 splits from US 84 and heads northward towardsMcKenzie, where it joins withUS 31. Just south ofGeorgiana, US 31 splits from the route which continues to its terminus atSR 106, which connects withInterstate 65 (I-65).
The route is now a four-lane highway from its intersection with US 29 just south of Andalusia northward to its terminus with SR 106 andInterstate 65 nearGeorgiana.[2]
This highway is increasing in popularity with travelers headed to the Fort Walton/Destin area.[citation needed]
From its creation in 1928, S.R. 55 has been extremely important to the infrastructure of Alabama. From 1934 to 1955, its routing fromMcKenzie toAndalusia was also a portion of U.S. Route 84. U.S. 84 was rerouted onto a shorter, much more direct route fromEvergreen to Andalusia in 1955.[3][4]
In 1978, S.R. 55 was rerouted onto a new, much less curvy highway from McKenzie to Andalusia, bypassingRed Level - this new routing was a four-lane highway.[5] In the mid-2000s, a bypass ofGeorgiana - home to its junction withSR-106 - was constructed. This new routing would junction with SR-106 west of Georgiana, continuing west to its junction with Interstate 65 - its present-day junction with the Interstate.
On the other hand, its routing south of Andalusia has remained relatively unchanged, with the only major change to the routing being the addition of a bypass of downtown Andalusia in 1995 - thus making SR-55 through Andalusia a Truck-and-Business route complex.[6]
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covington | Florala | 0.000 | 0.000 |  SR 85 south –Crestview,Destin | Florida state line | |||
| 0.828 | 1.333 |    US 331 south (SR 9) toSR 54 east –Samson,Panama City | South end of US 331/SR 9 concurrency | |||||
| 1.051 | 1.691 |   US 331 north (Sixth Street /SR 9) –Opp,Montgomery,Florala Municipal Airport | North end of US 331/SR 9 concurrency | |||||
| Andalusia | 23.539 | 37.882 | Stanley Avenue (SR 15 north) –Andalusia | South end of SR 15 concurrency | ||||
| 25.449 | 40.956 | US 29 south (SR 15) –Brewton | North end of SR 15 concurrency; south end of US 29 concurrency | |||||
| 28.149 | 45.301 | US 29 north /US 84 east (M.L. King Jr. Expressway /SR 12) –Opp,LBW Community College Andalusia Campus | North end of US 29 concurrency; south end of US 84/SR 12 concurrency | |||||
| River Falls | 31.449 | 50.612 |    US 84 west (SR 12) toI-65 south –Evergreen, Conecuh County | North end of US 84/SR 12 concurrency | ||||
| Conecuh | No major junctions | |||||||
| Butler | McKenzie | 49.431 | 79.551 | US 31 south (SR 3) / South Garland Road –Evergreen, Conecuh County,McKenzie | South end of US 31/SR 3 concurrency | |||
| | 53.741 | 86.488 | US 31 (SR 3) –Greenville | North end of US 31/SR 3 concurrency | ||||
| Georgiana | 57.275 | 92.175 | SR 106 east –Brantley | South end of SR 106 concurrency | ||||
| 58.758 | 94.562 | I-65 /SR 106 west –Mobile,Montgomery | Northern terminus; I-65 exit 114 | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||||
Media related toAlabama State Route 55 at Wikimedia Commons
