Overview
Interstate 22 (I-22) is a relatively new interstate highway that follows the route of US 78 and connects I-269 to I-65. The interstate is currently 202.5 miles long. The highway is also “Corridor X” of the Appalachian Development Highway System.
I-22 was designated in 2012, and within Mississippi and Alabama, most of its length is in rural areas of the states. I-22 was created and upgraded to interstate highway standards to “close a gap in the Interstate Highway System (IHS).” The highway provides additional direct connections between cities in the Southeast and cities in the south central United States. I-22 indirectly connects I-40, I-55, I-69 and I-240 in the Memphis metropolitan area via US 78 and I-269 with I-20/I-59, I-65 and I-459 in the Birmingham metro area.
The highway begins at an interchange with I-269 at Byhalia, Mississippi, which is approximately 25 miles from downtown Memphis. I-22 then runs in a southeasterly direction across northern Mississippi and Alabama, and ends at an interchange with I-65 approximately five miles north of downtown Birmingham.
History
Interstate 22 was officially written into law in 2004 as a section of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. That act created not only I-22, but also I-66, I-69, I-73, I-74 and I-99.
While I-22 and the other new interstates were created through legislation in 2004, the idea of a Memphis-to-Birmingham expressway has had boosters since the 1950s when the IHS was being planned and construction first began.
I-22’s section just east of Fulton, Mississippi, was approved by Congress as “Corridor X” in 1978, as a part of the Appalachian Development Highway System; parts of I-22 have been under construction ever since. In addition, 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. During its many years of development and planning, the I-22 project and its route changed multiple times.
Construction
The first major completed section of “Future I-22” – between the Mississippi state line and Jasper, Alabama opened for use on November 22, 2005. The first Interstate 22 signs were placed in Marion County, Alabama, immediately east of the Mississippi state line in April 2014.
The largest and most complex sections of the new interstate were I-22’s interchange with I-65 and connection to US 31 in the Birmingham area. The interchange to I-65 was opened by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ADOT) on June 20, 2016. The connector to US 31 was still under construction at that time.
Officials in Mississippi announced on May 5, 2015 that the state had begun the process to designate its portion of the new highway as I-22. There are two requirements to apply for interstate designation – “to upgrade the route to interstate standards and to connect to an existing interstate within 25 years.” The first requirement had already been met; the second requirement was met when I-269 opened in December 2017. The route was officially signed with I-22 shields in Mississippi in a ceremony on October 23, 2015.
Future plans
At this time, I-22 does not continue past its junction with I-269. There are numerous supporters who are promoting an I-22 spur route that would run from I-269 northwest to Tennessee by utilizing the existing US 78.
In addition, Interstate 222 (I-222) is a future auxiliary interstate highway that will be a connector between I-22 and the proposed I-422 near Birmingham. If built, plans at this time call for no exits on I-222 other than its termini. I-222 was proposed because a direct interchange between I-22 and I-422 cannot be built because of environmental issues. However, no construction of this new route has been scheduled to-date.
Meanwhile, I-422 is a proposed northwestern bypass of Birmingham. It would connect between I-20/I-59, from the southwest, and I-59 in the northeast. It would also connect with I-22 via I-222, northwest of Birmingham. I-422 was first proposed in May 2009.
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