U.S. Route 82 in Alabama

Infobox road
state=AL
type=US
route=82
alternate_name=State Route 6
length_mi=239.895
length_ref=Alabama Department of Transportation, [http://www.dot.state.al.us/NR/rdonlyres/7B15B300-359D-413A-A7FA-ED33C8C261CD/0/CountyMilePostMaps.pdf County Milepost Maps] , accessed September 2007]
length_round=3
established=1934Fact|date=September 2007
direction_a=West
direction_b=East
starting_terminus=jct|state=MS|US|82 towards Columbus, MS
junction=jct|state=AL|US|43 in Tuscaloosa
jct|state=AL|US|31 in Montgomery
ending_terminus=jct|state=GA|US|82 towards Albany, GA
previous_route=81
next_route=83
browse=al browse
previous_route=5
route=
next_route=7
U.S. Highway 82 (US-82), internally designated by the Alabama Department of Transportation as State Route 6 (SR-6), is a major northwest-southeast state highway across the central part of the U.S. state of Alabama.

The route of SR-6 and US-82 travels through numerous rural areas of Alabama. Northport, Tuscaloosa, Prattville, Montgomery, and Eufaula are the only cities whose population exceeds 10,000 that the route travels through.

The highway crosses the state east-west, and is known in West Alabama (Tuscaloosa and Northport) as McFarland Boulevard, in memory of the late Honorable Ward Wharton McFarland, a political, business, and civic leader who died in 1979. Currently in Pickens County, Alabama, a widening project of U.S. 82 is underway to make the highway four-laned. New bridges are being constructed using Federal Highway Administration monies, as well as matching Alabama Department of Transportation funds. Four-laning the highway is also underway in western Tuscaloosa County, Alabama but numerous delays, caused by the lack of commitment of matching funds by the Tuscaloosa County Commission, have added years to the project. Portions of the project site along Highway 82 in western Tuscaloosa County have been excavated and site-readied multiple times, due to repeated holdups associated with the County Commission's funds commitment; as of July, 2008, there has been no action to finish the work. Interestingly, Tuscaloosa County holds the largest county government cash reserves in the state, currently in excess of forty million dollars.

In Alabama, US-82 and SR-6 pass through the following cities and towns:
* Reform
* Gordo
* Northport
* Tuscaloosa
* Centreville
* Prattville
* Montgomery
* Union Springs
* Eufaula

US-82 and SR-6 intersect the following Interstate highways, U.S. highways, and major state routes in Alabama:
* U.S. Highway 43 and unsigned State Route 13 at Northport. US-43, US-82, SR-6 and SR-13 share the same route until they junction State Route 69
* State Route 69 at Northport
* Interstate 20/Interstate 59 at Tuscaloosa
* U.S. Highway 11 and unsigned State Route 7 at Tuscaloosa
* State Route 5 in Brent
* U.S. Highway 31 and unsigned State Route 3 in Prattville. Until the late 1990’s, US-31, US-82, SR-3 and SR-6 shared the same route as they entered Montgomery.
* State Route 14 at Prattville
* Interstate 65 in Prattville. Since the late 1990’s, US-82 and SR-6 have been re-routed onto I-65 between Exit 179 and Exit 168 (South Boulevard in Montgomery).
* Interstate 85 in Montgomery
* U.S. Highway 80 and unsigned State Route 8 at Montgomery. US-80, US-82, SR-6 and SR-8 overlap between I-65 and the intersection with Troy Highway (US-231) near Montgomery Mall.
* U.S. Highway 331 and unsigned State Route 9 at Montgomery
* U.S. Highway 231 and unsigned State Route 53 at Montgomery. US-82, US-231, SR-6 and SR-53 overlap until they split at Pine Level
* U.S. Highway 29 and unsigned State Route 15 at Union Springs
* U.S. Highway 431 and unsigned State Route 1 at Eufaula

References