Development
The part of I-22 just east of Fulton, Mississippi, was approved by Congress as "Corridor X" in 1978, as a part of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and parts of I-22 have been under construction ever since. Corridor X was also designated as "High Priority Corridor 10" in the Federal National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, and as "High Priority Corridor 45" in later legislation.
Two small but costly portions of I-22 remain to be completed, and these are under construction as of early 2011. The one missing part in Alabama is only 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long and it is in Jefferson County, and this is from Coalburg Road near Fultondale to U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) on the northern edge of Birmingham. This short section consists mostly of the major highway interchange with I-65 and US 31. The other missing part is the short stretch from the state line between Mississippi and Tennessee to its final interchange with an Interstate Highway just southeast of Memphis. The exact location of this western terminus has not yet been decided on as of early 2011, but I-269 (when completed) and I-240 are two possibilities. It is also possible that I-22 may follow I-269 west to end at the I-55/I-69/I-269 interchange near Hernando.
Future I-22 now covers nearly the full distance between Birmingham and suburban Memphis, stopping short of its lone major interchange in Alabama at I-65. In Mississippi, I-22 runs from the Alabama state line across the state, and past the location of its prospective interchange with I-269 to the Tennessee state line at the Memphis city limits. This is about four miles (6.4 km) short of an interchange with I-240 in Shelby County, Tennessee. However, whether a highway all the way to I-240 is ever constructed is still an open question because such a highway would need to go through a heavily-industrialized area of Memphis. This includes a large intermodal railroad and highway facility adjacent to the current US 78. Government funding for the two remaining sections of I-22 has been a priority for Senator Richard Shelby, who served as the Chairman of the Senate's Transportation Subcommittee.
In 2004, Corridor X was designated as Future I-22 by Public Law Number 108-199, and the designation was made official on April 18, 2005. In Alabama and Mississippi, blue signs reading "FUTURE/I-22/CORRIDOR" at left and an I-22 shield with "FUTURE" instead of "INTERSTATE" at the right were unveiled on April 18, 2005.
Read more about this topic: Interstate 22
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