 Interstate 20 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 1,539.38 mi[1] (2,477.39 km) |
| Existed | 1957–present |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  I-10 inReeves County, TX |
| Major intersections |
|
| East end |   I-95 /I-20 BS inFlorence, SC |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Texas,Louisiana,Mississippi,Alabama,Georgia,South Carolina |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–westInterstate Highway in theSouthern United States. I-20 runs 1,539 miles (2,477 km) beginning at an interchange withI-10 inReeves County, Texas, 40 miles (64 km) east ofVan Horn, Texas, and ending at an interchange withI-95 inFlorence, South Carolina. Between Texas and South Carolina, I-20 runs through northern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The major cities that I-20 connects to includeDallas-Fort Worth, Texas;Shreveport, Louisiana;Jackson, Mississippi;Birmingham, Alabama;Atlanta, Georgia; andColumbia, South Carolina.
From its terminus at I-95, the highway continues about two miles (3.2 km) eastward into the city of Florence asI-20 Business (I-20 Bus.).
| mi[1] | km | |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 636.08 | 1,023.67 |
| LA | 189.87 | 305.57 |
| MS | 154.61 | 248.82 |
| AL | 214.70 | 345.53 |
| GA | 202.61 | 326.07 |
| SC | 141.51 | 227.74 |
| Total | 1,539.38 | 2,477.39 |
I-20 runs from Texas to South Carolina serving major southern economic hubs such asDallas–Fort Worth andAtlanta.[2]
I-20 begins in westernReeves County at a fork with I-10. From there, the highway travels east-northeastward throughOdessa,Midland, andAbilene before turning eastward toward theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex. TheLa Entrada al Pacífico corridor runs along I-20 betweenUS Route 385 (US 385) andFarm to Market Road 1788 (FM 1788). BetweenMonahans and I-10, I-20 has an 80-mile-per-hour (130 km/h) speed limit.
From the highway's opening in the 1960s through 1977, I-20 originally went through the heart of the metroplex via theDallas–Fort Worth Turnpike. This old route is now signedI-30 (Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike and from US 80/I-30 intersection at Mesquite toDowntown Dallas),US 80 (former stretch between I-635 andTerrell), andSpur 557 (bypass around Terrell). In 1977, I-20 was rerouted to go through the southern sections of Fort Worth,Arlington,Grand Prairie,Dallas, andMesquite. It split off from the old route initially at I-820 in west Fort Worth the later on at its current junction nearAledo inParker County. It rejoins the old route near Terrell. Part of I-20 in Dallas used to be signed as I-635 and shares the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway name with the remainder of I-635. Parts on the south side of Fort Worth were originally signed as I-820.[3]
I-20 continues eastward from Terrell, bypassingTyler,Longview, andMarshall before crossing the Louisiana border near Waskom.
InLouisiana, I-20 roughly parallelsUS 80 through the northern part of the state.
Entering the state from nearWaskom, Texas, the highway immediately enters theShreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, intersectingI-49 near downtown Shreveport and passing close toBarksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City.
I-20 traverses mainly rural, hilly terrain, bypassingMinden,Grambling, andRuston before reachingMonroe.
From Monroe, I-20 enters flatter terrain as it approaches theMississippi River. Before crossing the Mississippi, the highway passesTallulah. At the Mississippi River, I-20 leaves Louisiana and entersVicksburg.
Upon entering Mississippi by crossing theMississippi River, I-20 immediately entersVicksburg. Between Edwards andClinton, the highway mostly follows the original two-lane routing ofUS 80. In Jackson, I-20 sees a short concurrency with bothI-55 andUS 49. Also in Jackson is an unusually expansivestack interchange, at thejunction of I-20, I-55 north, and US 49 south. The interchange replaces a former directional interchange at I-55 north and acloverleaf interchange at US 49. From the stack, I-20 continues eastward toMeridian, where it begins the nearly 160-mile (260 km) overlap withI-59.
The route of the Mississippi section of I-20 is defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.
I-20 (along with I-59) crosses the Alabama state line nearYork, and it stays conjoined as it passes through western Alabama andTuscaloosa. AtBirmingham, the two highways pass through downtown together before splitting at exit 130 just east ofBirmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. I-20 continues eastward throughOxford–Anniston and theTalladega National Forest, passing byTalladega Superspeedway in the process, which is visible from the highway.
Also in Birmingham, the intersection of I-20/I-59 andI-65 was known as aMalfunction Junction because of the interchange's somewhat-confusing design, and the number of traffic accidents that occurred there. This section of the Interstate and its interchanges have since been reconfigured.[4][5]
I-20 enters Georgia nearTallapoosa and after passing through western Georgia, it enters theAtlanta metropolitan area. On clear days, eastbound motorists get their first view ofDowntown Atlanta as they come over the top of Six Flags Hill. TheSix Flags Over Georgia amusement park is easily visible off exit 46 eastbound. The highway then passes through the center ofAtlanta, meeting withI-75 andI-85, which share a common expressway (theDowntown Connector). It continues through the Atlanta metropolitan area eastward and through the eastern half of Georgia until it exits the state, crossing theSavannah River atAugusta.
Throughout the state, I-20 is conjoined with unsignedState Route 402 (SR 402). Also, I-20 from the Alabama state line toI-285 in Atlanta is named the "Tom Murphy Freeway", but it is called the "Ralph David Abernathy Freeway" within I-285. The Interstate Highway is also named the Purple Heart Highway from I-285 inDeKalb County toUS 129/US 441/SR 24 inMadison, Georgia, and it is called the Carl Sanders Highway from US 129/US 441/SR 24 to the South Carolina state line.
Upon leaving Augusta, I-20 crosses theSavannah River and enters the Palmetto State and heads northeastward, bypassingAiken andLexington before reaching the state capital ofColumbia, which can be reached most directly by takingI-26 east at exit 64 ("Malfunction Junction"), then, almost immediately,I-126/US 76.
At Columbia, I-20 bypasses the city to the north and again turns northeastward, bypassingFort Jackson andCamden. After crossing theWateree River, it turns due east and passes by tinyBishopville, before reaching theFlorence area. It is near Florence where I-20 sees its eastern terminus atI-95. However, for about two miles (3.2 km), the highway continues into Florence asI-20 Bus.
I-20 in the Palmetto State is known as either the J. Strom Thurmond Freeway or John C. West Freeway. The first section to be completed was thebridge over the Savannah River in 1965; the last, the section betweenUS 401 and I-95 (including the business spur), opened in August 1975.
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I-20 was built in 1957 connecting Texas to the east coast running through Shreveport, Ruston, and Monroe making it their first Interstate.[citation needed]
I-20's exit numbers in Georgia were changed in 2000.[6]
In 2003, theNorth Carolina Department of Transportation proposed extending I-20 eastward from Florence toWilmington at the behest of North Carolina GovernorMike Easley and his 'Strategic Transportation Plan' for the southeast portion of the state.[7][8] The proposed route would follow US 76 east from Florence toWhiteville, North Carolina, then parallelUS 74/US 76 into Wilmington.[9] Part of this route is already designated the future eastern extension ofI-74. As part of the 2005Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users transportation legislation, North Carolina received $5 million (equivalent to $7.69 million in 2024[10]) for a feasibility study for this extension.[7] While this extension has considerable support among towns in southeastern North Carolina, theSouth Carolina Department of Transportation has stated that they have no interest in upgrading their portion of US 76 to an Interstate. Instead, South Carolina is concentrating their efforts on plans to buildI-73 that will terminate nearMyrtle Beach. This proposed extension is currently unfunded.[11]
I-10 inReeves County
US 285 inPecos
US 385 inOdessa
US 87 inBig Spring
US 84 east ofRoscoe. The highways travel concurrently to theTye–Abilene city line.
US 83 /US 277 in Abilene
US 283 inBaird
US 183 inCisco
US 281 south-southeast ofBrazos
US 180 inHudson Oaks
I-30 northeast ofAledo
I-820 inFort Worth
Chisholm Trail Parkway in Fort Worth
US 377 inBenbrook
I-35W in Fort Worth
I-820 /US 287 in Fort Worth. I-20/US 287 travels concurrently toArlington.
Pres. George Bush Turnpike inGrand Prairie
US 67 inDallas
I-35E on the Dallas–Lancaster city line
I-45 on the Dallas–Hutchins city line
US 175 on the Dallas–Balch Springs city line
I-635 in Balch Springs
US 69 inLindale
US 271 south-southeast ofWinona
US 259 northeast ofKilgore. The highways travel concurrently toLongview.
Future I-369 /US 59 inMarshall
US 80 west-southwest ofJonesville. The highways travel concurrently to west ofWaskom.
US 79 /US 80 inGreenwoodUS 80 inShreveport
I-220 in Shreveport
US 171 in ShreveportUS 79 /US 80 in Shreveport
I-49 in Shreveport
US 71 in Shreveport. The highways travel concurrently toBossier City.I-220 in Bossier City
Future I-69 nearHaughton
US 371 inDixie Inn. The highways travel concurrently toMinden.US 80 southeast of Minden
US 63 /US 167 inRustonUS 80 east-northeast ofCalhoun
US 165 inMonroe
US 425 inRayville
US 65 inTallulahUS 80 inDelta. The highways travel concurrently toClinton, Mississippi.
US 61 inVicksburg. The highways travel concurrently through Vicksburg.
I-220 /US 49 inJackson. I-20/US 49 travels concurrently toPearl.
I-55 /US 51 in Jackson. I-20/I-55 travels concurrently toRichlandUS 80 inBrandonUS 80 in BrandonUS 80 east-southeast ofLakeUS 80 west-southwest ofMeridian. The highways travel concurrently to Meridian.
I-59 in Meridian. The highways travel concurrently toBirmingham, Alabama.
US 11 in Meridian. The highways travel concurrently through Meridian.
US 45 in MeridianUS 11 /US 80 west-northwest ofKewanee
Future I-85 nearCuba
US 11 /US 43 south ofKnoxville
I-359 /US 11 inTuscaloosa
US 82 in TuscaloosaUS 11 in TuscaloosaUS 11 in TuscaloosaUS 11 south ofLake View. The highways travel concurrently toBessemer.
I-459 southwest ofMcCalla
US 78 in Birmingham
I-65 in Birmingham
US 31 /US 280 in BirminghamUS 11 in BirminghamI-459 inIrondaleUS 78 inLeeds
US 411 on the Leeds–Moody lineUS 78 northwest ofCooks Springs. The highways travel concurrently toPell City.
US 231 in Pell CityUS 78 inRiverside
US 431 east ofOxford
US 27 inBremen
I-285 inAtlanta
I-75 /I-85 in Atlanta
US 23 in AtlantaI-285 on thePanthersville–Candler-McAfee CDP line
US 278 southeast ofLithonia. The highways travel concurrently toCovington.US 278 inSocial Circle
US 129 /US 441 inMadisonUS 278 inBarnett
US 221 south ofAppling
I-520 inAugusta
US 25 inNorth AugustaI-520 in North Augusta
US 1 north-northeast ofAiken
US 178 southeast ofBatesburg-LeesvilleUS 1 east ofLexington
US 378 north ofOak Grove
I-26 /US 76 on theSeven Oaks–St. Andrews CDP line
US 176 in St. Andrews
US 321 north ofColumbia
US 21 in ColumbiaUS 1 inDentsville
I-77 on the Dentsville–Woodfield CDP line
US 601 inLugoff
US 521 inCamden
US 15 southwest ofBishopville
US 401 northeast ofLamarI-95 inFlorenceTwo I-420s were planned but never completed or built.One was to be abypass aroundMonroe, Louisiana, but was never built.The other I-420 was planned as a bypass to the south ofDowntown Atlanta. Due toanti-freeway sentiments, this I-420 was never completed, and the already-built portion has been signed asState Route 154 (SR 154)/SR 166, named theLangford Parkway (formerly the Lakewood Freeway).
Geographic data related toInterstate 20 atOpenStreetMap 
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1Cancelled | ||
 PrimaryInterstate Highways | |
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| Signed | |
| Unsigned | |
| Lists | |
| Other | |
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |
