Interstate 59

Interstate 59 (I-59) is a north–south highway, with a length of just over 445 miles. It begins near Slidell, LA, to Wildwood, GA. Despite being a north-south route, I-59 runs diagonally, from southwest to northeast.

Major cities along the route include Picayune, MS, Hattiesburg, Laurel, MS, Meridian, MS, Tuscaloosa, AL, Birmingham, AL, Gadsden, AL, and Fort Payne, AL.

I-59 is one of the few Interstate highways that parallel an older US highway, in this case Highway 11, for its entire route. The center portion of the highway, from Meridian, MS to Birmingham, AL, is also co-signed with another major Interstate highway: Interstate 20.

Interstate 59 in Hattiesburg
Work on the Mississippi portion of the route began in 1960, with the first portion, a section connecting Hattiesburg with Laurel, MS being completed in 1962. By 1969, the Mississippi portion, from the Pearl River to its intersection with Interstate 20 near Meridian, was completed.