Interstate 20

overlap with Interstate 59.

The route of the Mississippi section of Interstate 20 is defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3.

Alabama

Interstate 20 (along with Interstate 59) crosses the Alabama state line near York, and it stays conjoined as it passes through western Alabama and Tuscaloosa. At Birmingham, the two highways pass through downtown together before splitting at Exit 130 just east of the Birmingham airport. I-20 continues eastward through Oxford/ [Anniston, Alabama] , and the Talladega National Forest, passing by the Talladega Superspeedway in the process, which is visible from the highway.

Also in Birmingham, the intersection of I-20/I-59 and Interstate 65 is known as a Malfunction Junction because of the interchange's somewhat-confusing design, and the number of traffic accidents that occur there.

Georgia

I-20 enters the Peach State near Tallapoosa and after passing through western Georgia, it enters the Atlanta metropolitan area. On clear days, eastbound motorists get their first view of downtown Atlanta as they come over the top of the Six Flags Hill. The Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park is easily visible off exit 47 eastbound. In Atlanta, the highway passes through the heart of the city, crossing Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 on a common expressway (the "Downtown Connector"). It continues though Metropolitan Atlanta eastward and through the eastern half of Georgia until it exits the state, crossing the Savannah River at Augusta, Ga..

Throughout the state, I-20 is conjoined with unsigned Georgia Highway 402. Also, I-20 from the Alabama state line to Interstate 285 in Atlanta is named the "Tom Murphy Freeway", but it is called the "Ralph David Abernathy Freeway" within I-285. The Interstate Highway is also named the Purple Heart Highway from I-285 in DeKalb County to U.S. 441 in Madison, Georgia; and it is called the Carl Sanders Highway from U.S.-441 to the South Carolina state line.

outh Carolina

Upon leaving Augusta, I-20 crosses the Savannah River and enters the Palmetto State and heads northeastward, bypassing Aiken and Lexington before reaching the state capitol of Columbia, which can be reached most directly by taking I-26 east at Exit 63 ("Malfunction Junction"), then, almost immediately, I-126/U.S. Route 76.

At Columbia, Interstate 20 bypasses the city to the north and again turns northeastward, bypassing Fort Jackson and Camden. After crossing the Wateree River, it turns due east, passes by tiny Bishopville, before reaching the Florence area. It is near Florence where I-20 sees its eastern terminus at Interstate 95. However, for about two miles (3 km), the highway continues into Florence as Business Spur 20.

I-20 in the Palmetto State is known as either the J. Strom Thurmond Freeway or John C. West Freeway. The first section to be completed was the bridge over the Savannah River around 1964, the last, the section between U.S. Route 401 and I-95 (including the Business Spur), opened in 1974.

Future

In 2003, The North Carolina Department of Transportation proposed extending I-20 eastward from Florence to Wilmington at the behest of North Carolina Governor Mike Easley and his 'Strategic Transportation Plan' for the southeast portion of the state. The proposed route would follow U.S. 76 east from Florence to Whiteville, North Carolina, then parallel U.S. 74/U.S. 76 into Wilmington. Part of this route is already designated the future eastern extension of Interstate 74. As part of the 2005 SAFETEA-LU transportation legislation, North Carolina received $5 million for a feasibility study for this extension. While this extension has considerable support among towns in southeastern North Carolina, the South Carolina DOT has stated that they have no interest in upgrading their portion of U.S. 76 to an interstate. This is likely due, in no small part, to encourage eastbound vacationers to travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina rather than Wilmington and that they are concentrating their efforts on plans to build Interstate 73 that will terminate near Myrtle Beach.

Major intersections

*Interstate 10 in Kent, Texas
*Interstate 30 near Fort Worth, Texas
*Interstate 820 in Fort Worth, Texas (twice)
*Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, Texas
*Interstate 35E in Dallas, Texas
*Interstate 45 in Dallas, Texas
*Interstate 635 in Dallas, Texas
*Interstate 220 in Shreveport, Louisiana (west terminus)
*Interstate 49 in Shreveport, Louisiana
*Interstate 220 in Bossier City, Louisiana (eastern terminus)
*Interstate 220 in Jackson, Mississippi
*Interstate 55 in Jackson, Mississippi (I-20 and I-55 briefly run together here)
*Interstate 59 in Meridian, Mississippi ( [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Meridian,+MS&ll=32.341935,-88.767729&spn=0.016327,0.022505&hl=en Map] ). I-20 and I-59 stay connected until Birmingham, Alabama.
*Interstate 359 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
*Interstate 65 in Birmingham, Alabama ("Malfunction Junction")
*Interstate 59 in Birmingham, Alabama
*Interstate 459 in Birmingham, Alabama (twice)
*Interstate 285 in Atlanta, Georgia (twice)
*Interstate 75/Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Georgia. Both follow the same stretch of freeway known as the Downtown Connector.
*Interstate 520 in Augusta, Georgia
*Interstate 26 in Columbia, South Carolina
*Interstate 77 in Columbia, South Carolina
*Interstate 95 in Florence, South Carolina ( [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Florence,+SC&ll=34.189086,-79.836273&spn=0.127882,0.180038&hl=en Map] )

Auxiliary routes

Two Interstate 420s were planned, but never completed or built. One was to be a bypass around Monroe, Louisiana, but was never built. The other I-420 was planned as a bypass to the south of downtown Atlanta. Due to anti-freeway sentiments, this I-420 was never completed, and the already-built portion has been signed as GA 154/GA 166, named Langford Parkway (formerly the Lakewood Freeway). Additionally, it is highly unlikelyOr|date=February 2008 that any road will ever be designated as "Route 420," due to that number being popular in the drug trade.Fact|date=February 2008Dubious|date=March 2008

*Shreveport, Louisiana - I-220
*Jackson, Mississippi - I-220
*Augusta, Georgia - I-520
*Fort Worth, Texas - I-820

References

*http://www.duke.edu/~rmalme/i74seg18.html I-20 in NC discussion on I-74 in North Carolina Progress Page, accessed October 4, 2005.
*

External links

*http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-020.html I-20 on Interstate-Guide.com
*http://www.duke.edu/~rmalme/ncfutint.html Proposed I-20 extension in North Carolina