 State Route 53 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standalone sections of SR 53 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byALDOT | ||||
| Length | 345.287 mi[1] (555.686 km) Most of length signed asUS 231 | |||
| Southern standalone section | ||||
| Length | 20.137 mi[1] (32.407 km) | |||
| South end |  SR 71 towardsMarianna, Fla. | |||
| North end |    US 231 Bus. /US 431 Bus. atDothan | |||
| Northern standalone section | ||||
| Length | 28.423 mi (45.742 km) | |||
| South end | US 231 /US 431 inHuntsville | |||
| Major intersections |  I-565 inHuntsville | |||
| North end |   I-65 /US 31 nearArdmore | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Alabama | |||
| Counties | Houston,Dale,Coffee,Pike,Montgomery,Elmore,Coosa,Talladega,Shelby,St. Clair,Blount,Cullman,Marshall,Morgan,Madison,Limestone | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 53 (SR 53) is a 345.287-mile (555.686 km)state highway in theU.S. state ofAlabama. The majority, betweenDothan andHuntsville, is signed asU.S. Route 231 (US 231), but the two ends – south toFlorida and north toI-65/US 31 nearTennessee – are independent. In those areas, US 231 usesSR 1, sharing the route withUS 431 north of Huntsville, where it is referred to asMemorial Parkway.
An 18-mile-long (29 km) stretch of SR 53, fromResearch Park Boulevard inHuntsville to just south ofArdmore, is designated as the "Paul Luther Bolden Memorial Highway" in honor ofPaul L. Bolden, aMedal of Honor recipient andMadison County's most-decoratedWorld War II veteran.[2]
Beginning at its southern terminus atSR 71, SR 53 assumes a slight northwesterly trajectory as it travels through Dothan, where it joinsUS 231, heading towardsMontgomery. Between Dothan andHuntsville, SR 53 is the unsigned partner to US 231, however, only SR-53’s mile markers are present along the route.
At Huntsville, SR 53 diverts from US 231 and once again becomes a signed route until it reaches its northern terminus just west ofArdmore atI-65/US 31 crossing several major roads along the way includingUniversity andSparkman Drives in Huntsville. The northbound lane of SR 53 actually enters Tennessee before going south to I-65.Tennessee State Route 7 travels concurrently with SR 53 on the state line and both Alabama and Tennessee mile markers are present on the highway.
This route is the rest of Governor's Drive—US-431'sright-of-way—in Huntsville, becoming Jordan Lane after its two-part junction withI-565, featuring Jordan Lane and Governor's Drive. Jordan Lane is AL-53's right-of-way until its northern terminus in Ardmore.
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | | 0.000 | 0.000 |  SR 71 south –Marianna | Florida state line; southern terminus | ||
| Dothan | 18.639 | 29.997 |    US 431 /SR 210 (Ross Clark Circle) toUS 84 /US 231 south –Panama City,Enterprise,Ashford,Eufaula,Bainbridge | ||||
| 20.137 | 32.407 | US 231 Bus. south /US 431 Bus. south (South Oates Street /SR 1) –Marianna,Panama City | Northern end of signed SR 53; southern end of US 231 Bus./US 431 Bus./SR 1 concurrency | ||||
| 21.158 | 34.051 |  US 84 Bus. /SR 52 (Main Street /SR 12) –Dothan Civic Center | |||||
| 22.072 | 35.521 |  US 431 Bus. north (Reeves Street /SR 1) –Headland,Eufaula | Northern end of US 431 Bus./SR 1 concurrency | ||||
| 24.007 | 38.636 | US 231 south /SR 210 (Ross Clark Circle) toUS 431 north /US 84 –Enterprise,Panama City,Headland,Eufaula,Rip Hewes Stadium | Northern terminus of US 231 Bus.; southern end of US 231 concurrency | ||||
| SR 53 is the unsigned designation forUS 231 for the next 292.857 miles (471.308 km) | |||||||
| Madison | Huntsville | 316.864 | 509.943 |  US 231 north /US 431 (Memorial Parkway /Governors Drive /SR 1) toI-565 –Guntersville,Monte Sano State Park | Interchange; northern end of US 231 concurrency; southern end of signed SR 53 | ||
| 318.548 | 512.653 |   I-565 /US 72 Alt. toI-65 / Jordan Lane –Decatur,Botanical Garden | I-565 exit 17 | ||||
| 319.915 | 514.853 | US 72 (University Drive /SR 2) –Alabama A&M University | |||||
| 324.449 | 522.150 |  SR 255 south (Research Park Boulevard) toUS 72 /I-565 / MLK Boulevard | Interchange; northern terminus of SR 255 | ||||
| Limestone | Ardmore | 340.87 | 548.58 |   SR 7 begins / Stateline Road | Southern end of (TN) SR 7 concurrency alongTennessee state line | ||
| 341.77 | 550.03 |   SR 110 east (Bowman Street) –Fayetteville | Western terminus of (TN) SR 110 | ||||
| 342.07 | 550.51 |  SR 7 Truck north (Austin Street) | Southern terminus of (TN) SR 7 Truck | ||||
| 342.37 | 550.99 |  SR 7 north (Main Street west) | Northern end of (TN) SR 7 concurrency | ||||
| 342.878 | 551.809 |  SR 251 south (Ardmore Avenue south) | OldUS 31 south; northern terminus of SR 251 | ||||
| | 345.287 | 555.686 | I-65 (US 31) –Birmingham,Nashville | Northern terminus; I-65 exit 365; road continues south as Upper Elkton Road | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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