Alabama State Route 53

State Route 53
Route information
Maintained by ALDOT
Length:	345.287 mi[1] (555.686 km) Most of length signed as US-231
Southern standalone section
Length:	20.137 mi[1] (32.407 km)
South end:	SR 71 towards Marianna, Fla.
North end:	US 231 Bus. / US 431 Bus. at Dothan
Northern standalone section
Length:	28.423 mi (45.742 km)
South end:	US 231 / US 431 in Huntsville
Major junctions:	I‑565 in Huntsville
North end:	I‑65 / US 31 near Ardmore
Location
Counties:	Houston, Dale, Coffee, Pike, Montgomery, Elmore, Coosa, Talladega, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, Cullman, Marshall, Morgan, Madison, Limestone
Highway system
Alabama State Routes Interstate US State ← SR 52 SR 54 →

State Route 53 (SR-53) is a 345-mile (555 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Alabama. The majority, between Dothan and Huntsville, is signed as U.S. Highway 231 (US-231), but the two ends - south to Florida and north to I-65/US-31 near Tennessee - are independent. In those areas, US-231 uses State Route 1, sharing the route with US-431 north of Huntsville, where it is referred to as Memorial Parkway.

An 18-mile stretch of State Route 53, from Research Park Boulevard in Huntsville to just south of Ardmore, is designated as the "Paul Luther Bolden Memorial Highway" in honor of Paul L. Bolden, a Medal of Honor recipient and Madison County's most-decorated World War II veteran.^[2]

Major intersections

Beginning at its southern terminus, SR-53 assumes a slight northwestwardly trajectory as it passes through Dothan, where it joins U.S. Route 231, heading towards Montgomery. Between Dothan and Huntsville, SR-53 is the unsigned partner to US-231.

SR-53, coming in from the upper left, follows the Tennessee state line at Ardmore

At Huntsville, SR-53 diverts from US-231 and once again becomes a signed route until it reaches its terminus just west of Ardmore at Interstate 65/U.S. Highway 31 crossing several major roads along the way including University and Sparkman Drives in Huntsville. The northbound lane of SR-53 actually enters Tennessee before going south to I-65. Tennessee State Route 7 runs concurrently with the route on the state line and both Alabama and Tennessee mile markers are present on the highway.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Houston		0.000	0.000	SR 71 south – Marianna	Florida state line
	Cottonwood	7	11	To US 231 / Sealy Wells Road (CR-55 south) – Sealy Springs, McLane
	Dothan	18.639	29.997	SR 210 / US 431 (Ross Clark Circle) to US 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	north end of signed SR-53; south end of US-231 Bus. / US-431 Bus. / SR-1 overlap
		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	north end of US-431 Bus. / SR-1 overlap
		24.007	38.636	SR 210 / US 84 / US 231 south (Ross Clark Circle) to US 431 north – Enterprise, Panama City, Headland, Eufaula, Rip Hewes Stadium	north end of US-231 Bus. overlap; south end of US-231 overlap
SR-53 is the unsigned designation for US-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) to I‑565 – Guntersville, Monte Sano State Park	interchange; north end of US-231 overlap; south end of signed SR-53
		318.548	512.653	I‑565 / US 72 Alt. to I‑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) to US 72 / I‑565 / MLK Boulevard	interchange
Lincoln / Limestone	Ardmore, TN / Ardmore, AL			SR 7 (Stateline Road)	south end of SR-7 overlap
Giles / Limestone		342	550	SR 110 east – Fayetteville
				SR 7 north to I-65	north end of SR-7 overlap
Limestone	Ardmore	342.878	551.809	SR 251 south (Ardmore Highway)
		345.287	555.686	I‑65 / US 31 – Birmingham, Nashville	Northern terminus; I-65 exit 365
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Alabama Department of Transportation. "Milepost Maps". Retrieved September 11, 2011.
2. Huggins, Paul (August 21, 2013). "Paul Luther Bolden Memorial Highway honors Madison County's highest decorated WWII soldier". The Huntsville Times (Huntsville, AL: Advance Publications). Retrieved August 22, 2013.