Anniston Eastern Bypass

The Anniston Eastern Bypass is a project underway to build a four to six lane highway, two miles east of downtown Anniston, Alabama and downtown Oxford. Since the early 90s, bypasses have been planned on both sides of town to alleviate traffic on Quintard Avenue, the main north/south traffic artery in the region. Despite being planned for years, construction did not begin until after receiving funding in a 2009 economic stimulus bill.^[1] Prior to the start of construction, archeological work on part of the route that passed through Fort McClellan located Native American spearpoints and an American Civil War homestead.^[2]

The bypass will run from McIntosh Road (in southeast Oxford) across I-20 following the Golden Springs Road route and cross the Choccolocco Foothills cutting back into US 431 where it hits into AL 21 on McClellan Blvd. It is complete from McIntosh Road to US 431 (five lanes total). The northern portion, which began construction in 2010,^[3] is built with two at-grade intersections (McClellan Bypass and Summerall Road) and one trumpet interchange (AL 21/McClellan Blvd). Much development has been the result of this highway in the past decade along I-20 in Oxford and it is regarded as a way to redevelop McClellan as well as north Anniston.^[4][5]

The total cost of the project is estimated at $150 million, and the final stretch of the road to be constructed is complete as of December 2015, with work ongoing on the U.S. 431 tie-in. US 431 follows this route from I-20 northward.

References

Route map: Bing / Google