Memorial Parkway is a major thoroughfare in Huntsville

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. It, in whole or in part, follows U.S. Route 231

U.S. Route 231

U.S. Route 231 is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31. It currently runs for 912 miles from St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 to south of U.S. Route 98 in Downtown Panama City, Florida.One of its most notable landmarks is the William H...

, U.S. Route 431

U.S. Route 431

U.S. Route 431 is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently runs for 556 miles from Owensboro, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60 to Dothan, Alabama, at U.S. Route 231 and U.S. Route 84. Through many parts of US 431 it is a two lane with not many places of it being a four lane highway.-Alabama:U.S. 431 is...

, U.S. Route 72

U.S. Route 72

U.S. Route 72 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 337 miles from southeast Tennessee through northern Alabama and northern Mississippi to southwest Tennessee. The highway's eastern terminus is Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its western terminus is Memphis, Tennessee...

, and State Route 53

State Route 53 (Alabama)

State Route 53 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Alabama. The majority, between Dothan and Huntsville, is signed as U.S. Highway 231 , but the two ends - south to Florida and north to I-65/US-31 near Tennessee - are independent...

 through the Huntsville city limits. It is a limited access road through most of Huntsville city proper, providing exits to the frontage road

Frontage road

A frontage road is a non-limited access road running parallel to a higher-speed road, usually a freeway, and feeding it at appropriate points of access...

 which allow access to road intersections, as well as businesses and residences along the route. Both the limited access and frontage roads are referred to as Memorial Parkway. Originally constructed in the 1950s and officially opened on December 1, 1955, the highway is the major commercial thoroughfare through Huntsville, a status it has held since the mid-1960s.

The so-called "useless" overpass (it crosses over no other roadway) between Drake Avenue and Airport Road was originally constructed to provide a convenient U-turn as well as allow access to businesses alongside the Parkway.

South of the Parkway is Clement C. Clay Bridge

Clement C. Clay Bridge

The Clement C. Clay Bridge are two bridges that span the Tennessee River just south of Huntsville in northern part of the U.S. State of Alabama. Both bridges are cantilever truss types. The original bridge span was built in 1931 replacing Whites Ferry which crossed the river at nearby Ditto's...

, also known as Whitesburg Bridge.

Expansion

Memorial Parkway's limited access portion is being expanded to include interchanges and frontage roads to the following cross streets. Estimated completion dates for significant current Parkway projects are statused in a quarterly Construction Bulletin from the Alabama Department of Transportation

Alabama Department of Transportation

The Alabama Department of Transportation is the government agency responsible for transportation infrastructure in Alabama. The department is divided into nine geographical divisions, with a central office located in Montgomery.-External links:...

 (ALDOT)'s Bureau of Transportation Planning.

North side

From north to south:

• Sparkman Drive/U.S. Route 72
  U.S. Route 72
  U.S. Route 72 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 337 miles from southeast Tennessee through northern Alabama and northern Mississippi to southwest Tennessee. The highway's eastern terminus is Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its western terminus is Memphis, Tennessee...
  
   eastbound (under construction, scheduled to be completed in 2012)
• Max Luther Drive (under construction, scheduled to be completed in 2012)
• Oakwood Ave
• University Drive
• Governors Drive
• Bob Wallace Ave
• Drake Ave

South side

From north to south:

• Airport Road
• Byrd Spring Road (construction to start in 2016)
• Charlotte Drive/Logan Drive/Lily Flagg Road (construction to start in 2016)
• Whitesburg Drive/Cameron Road
• Weatherly Road
• Meadowbrook Drive (southbound exit only)

In popular culture

• Professional baseball
  Baseball
  Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
  
   player Jose Canseco
  José Canseco
  José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
  
   earned the nickname "Jose Parkway" while playing with the Huntsville Stars
  Huntsville Stars
  The Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied .The Stars play their home games at Joe W...
  
   for his ability to hit home run
  Home run
  In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
  
  s over the outfield fence at Joe Davis Stadium.

Exit list

Destinations	Notes
Meadowbrook Drive West	Southbound exit only
Whitesburg Drive, Weatherly Road	Also exit for Cameron Road but not signed.
Martin Road, Vermont Road
Golf Road, Jones Valley Drive
Airport Road, Jones Valley Drive
Drake Avenue	Coming from the south, Drake Avenue appears to have two exits because there is a sign that will guide drivers to exit in time for the useless overpass, and another at the appropriate place to exit for Drake Avenue. Both exits lead to the same access road.
Bob Wallace Avenue
	North end of SR 53 overlap; south end of US 431/SR 1 overlap
Clinton Avenue - Downtown Huntsville	Former SR 20
	South end of US 72/SR 2 overlap
Oakwood Avenue, Cook Avenue

See also

• Madison County, Alabama
  Madison County, Alabama
  Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville Metropolitan Area.It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the...
  
  
• Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area
  Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area
  The Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area is the most populated sub-region of North Alabama, and is the second fastest growing region in the State of Alabama, with 510,088 living within the CSA...
  
  
• Tennessee Valley
  Tennessee Valley
  The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to northwest Georgia and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina...