| Bored traveling from T-town to the Magic City, back and forth? Sick of battling the snarl around mile marker 100 near the Jefferson-Tuscaloosa County line, eighteen wheelers in the left lane and grandma lost, or little Jimmy Mullet on his cellphone talking to Tammy instead of getting his butt on up the road? There are several alternative routes linking parts of B'ham with Tuscaloosa. None are as fast as the Interstate 20/59 system when it is working. However, accidents can trap you and the repetitiveness of the journey will wear on any driver. Knowing these routes -- where they originate and which exits they connect to -- can not only add variety to your travel menu but also offer escape routes should one of the deadly smash-ups 20/59 has become famous for occur in front of you! |
| Eastern Valley Road |
| Bibb Co. to Shelby Co. (US 11 to US 31) |
| Interstate 59 parallels US 11 from south Louisiana to Chattanooga, Tennessee. This is important to know, for if one ever finds the interstate blocked with a major accident, then one need only access the nearest exit and figure out whether US 11 is running north or south of I-59 at that point. From Vance, just east of Cottondale in Tuscaloosa County, US 11 sits south of I-59. The Coaling/University Blvd, Brookwood/Vance, Mercedes Drive, and AL 5 exits all access US 11. While the scenery along this stretch of 11 is nothing special, one will see the developing communities of Tuscaloosa and Bibb Counties. Vance, with the Mercedes Plant, a lumber yard, and Bama Rock Gardens, and Woodstock, with tanning salons and a locally-owned pizzeria, beat the interstate system for visual stimulus. Local police are apparent but do not seem to make it a point to slow traffic in the area. Four-laning around Woodstock makes passing easy near the interstate interchange at the Jefferson Co. line. Through Vance and Coaling intermittent opportunities to get around Sunday drivers and the cement trucks on the two-lane blacktop pop up as well. Highlights of the US 11 route include the Pottery Grill, between Cottondale and Vance. This is a reknowned barbecue restaurant. Cottondale also features a burger joint that's a brick bar, the Oasis. MAIN ADVANTAGES: quick (relative to other alternate routes), plenty of passing ops. PRIMARY DISADVANTAGES: slower than Interstate route it parallels DISTANCE (Cottondale to exit 97, I-59): about 22 miles |
| Known as Old Birmingham Highway in Tuscaloosa County, this route obviously was one of the original roads linking the two cities. 216 is a winding journey. In areas like Million Dollar Lakes it is beautiful (if litter-strewn). Just outside Brookwood, between the 12 and 13 mile markers, is a coal strip pit; there are a couple of rough pulloffs where you can view some enormous mounds of slag and pools of black water. The mining areas of Brookwood thru which 216 passes are less picturesque than the forest and towns. And beyond this territory is where the road gets curvy. It is not a recommended route during rain or freezing precipitation. During the spring and fall, however, the foliage is magnificent. Some of the roadside has been clearcut, but not all, and saplings are repopulating the sparcer patches. From Tuscaloosa, AL 216 will only get you as far as mile marker 100 (Abernant/Bucksville) on the interstate. This is good if you run up on an accident near exit 100, whether headed east into Bessemer and Birmingham or west, towards Vance and Tuscaloosa. For eastbound traffic in need of an alternate route, take exit 100 and turn right. AL 216 ends and the Old Birminghma Highway becomes Old Tuscaloosa Highway (Jeff. Co. Rd 20) at this point. The Bessemer Super Highway is just a short jump away, with bodacious four-lane cruising and a clearly marked return to the 20/59 interstate system. Westbound traffic take exit 100 (Abernant/Bucksville) and go right. This is the start of AL 216 at Bucksville. Eventually you will pop out at Five Points near Cottondale. This gives you quick access to US 11, Cottondale, Veterans Memorial Parkway and 15th Street in Tuscaloosa, and AL 215 thru Alberta City and on to the University campus. Passing opportunites occur infrequently on this highway, particularly beyond the Brookwood mining area (when headed east towards Abernant). But local traffic is light and not intolerable. Loaded trucks are a possibility. This is no through route for mobile homes or timber, though so take a chance and enjoy the countryside! MAIN ADVANTAGES: scenery PRIMARY DISADVANTAGES: difficult driving at night/during storms, limited chances to pass LENGTH (Five Points to Bucksville): approx. 18 miles |
| Co. Rd 36 |
| If you've ever been to Tannehill State Park to visit the ironworks then you have probably travelled some portion of Eastern Valley Road. This my favorite way to get to Birmingham: there's more to look at, both from Nature and in the developed areas, than on any other route. This is horse territory so soak in the scenery and stay alert to road hazards! Heading east into Birmingham, Eastern Valley is best accessed from US 11 in Woodstock. Outside of Woodstock, one passes briefly from Bibb County back into Tuscaloosa County. At the bottom of a hill lies the access to Bibb Co. 12. Turn right onto this road. You immediately pass back into Bibb Co. About a mile down the road you'll pass a lumber yard, cross the rail bed and arrive at the intersection which is Green Pond. To get to US 31 and points south of Birmingham, continue straight through the four-way stop on Bibb Co. 12 (see directions for Shelby Co. below). To get to Tannehill, Lipscomb, Bessemer, and Birmingham, take a left at the four-way. If you hold the wheel straight to the east, you will eventually come out at AL 150 in Bessemer. MAIN ADVANTAGES: scenery (natural and developed), few cops PRIMARY DISADVANTAGES: little opportunity to pass, not for quick trips LENGTH (Green Pond to Bessemer): 15.7 mi. |
| One of Alabama's blessings is that the state lies along the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. As a result, various geographical regions sweep in semicircular bands across the state. Shelby County seems to reflect one such band in places: a strip of rolling hills quite suited to ranching. Primarily, this consists of horses and cattle. Along AL 25 west of Montevallo, however, llamas are raised. And so Co. Rd 12 (in Bibb) and 13 (in Shelby) display Shelby County's penchant for ranching most wonderfully. Running from Green Pond to Pelham, Co. 12/13 is useful only to those travelling to and from points south of Birmingham, such as Helena, Pelham and Alabaster. US 31, in fact, runs thru Pelham. MAIN ADVANTAGES: delightful territory with some gorgeous spreads PRIMARY DISADVANTAGES: congested at the eastern end, no good for getting into the heart of B'ham LENGTH (Green Pond to Pelham): approx. 20 miles |
| This route adds length to the AL 216 plan, bypassing Bucksville at Abernant and coming out well north of the interstate. Co. Rd 36 is signed as Johns Road at most intersections, because it passes thru the communities of Johns and North Johns. This is rough territory, much of it having been either strip-mined or clearcut. The couple of small communities it passes thru are interesting, but this is mostly a briars-and-mobile-homes route. Similarly, the brea of Bessemer where Co. 36 dumps out near the interstate is a run-down, industrialized section of town. MAIN ADVANTAGES: very uninterstate, sort of Southern Goth in some ways PRIMARY DISADVANTAGES: ends up nowhere useful, may fear for life at points LENGTH (Five Pts./AL 216 to Bessemer/I-20/59): about 36.5 miles |
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| pics |
| simple driving directions |
| simple driving directions |
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