Interstate 65

Interstate 65 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. It connects the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, running approximately 887 miles from Mobile, Alabama to Gary, Indiana. The route serves as a critical commercial and transportation corridor, linking major cities including Birmingham, Nashville, Louisville, and Indianapolis.

Route description

The highway begins at an interchange with US 31 in Mobile, Alabama, near the Alabama State Docks. It travels north through the state, passing through the Conecuh National Forest and the Cahaba River basin before reaching the Birmingham metropolitan area. In Tennessee, it traverses the Highland Rim and crosses the Duck River before entering the Nashville Basin and the state capital, Nashville. Through Kentucky, it passes near Mammoth Cave National Park and crosses the Barren River and Green River before bisecting Louisville via the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. In Indiana, it serves the Columbus area, known for its modern architecture, before reaching the state capital, Indianapolis. Its northern terminus is at a complex interchange with I-90 and US 20 in the industrial Lake Michigan shoreline region of Gary, Indiana.

History

The route was designated as part of the original Interstate Highway System authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Many segments were constructed atop or parallel to existing roadways, including US 31 and US 31W. Significant engineering projects included the construction of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville, which opened in 1963, and the extensive Big I interchange with I-40 in Nashville. The final section to be completed was a segment near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, which opened to traffic in 1979. The highway has been the site of notable events, including a 2002 tanker truck explosion near Indianapolis and its use as a primary evacuation route during Hurricane Ivan.

Major junctions

Key interchanges from south to north include its southern terminus with US 31 in Mobile, Alabama; a junction with I-10 in Mobile, Alabama; a major confluence with I-20 and I-59 in Birmingham, Alabama; interchanges with both I-24 and I-40 in Nashville, Tennessee; a crossing of the Ohio River concurrent with I-64 and I-71 in Louisville, Kentucky; interchanges with I-74 and I-70 in Indianapolis, Indiana; and its northern terminus at a junction with I-80, I-90, US 12, and US 20 in Gary, Indiana.

Auxiliary routes

Several three-digit auxiliary Interstate Highways branch from the main route. These include I-165, a spur to the Port of Mobile; I-265 and I-265, which form the Gene Snyder Freeway beltway around Louisville; I-365, a short connector in Louisville; I-465, the beltway encircling Indianapolis; and I-865, a short connector between I-65 and I-465 on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

See also

* Interstate Highway System * System * 5 * 5