Alabama State Route 53

Infobox road
state=AL
type=SR
route=53
alternate_name=U.S. Highway 231 (Dothan to Huntsville)
length_mi=345.287
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=
direction_a=South
direction_b=North
starting_terminus=jct|state=FL|SR|71 towards Marianna, FL
junction=jct|state=AL|US|431 in Dothan
jct|state=AL|US|80 in Montgomery
jct|state=AL|US|78 in Pell City
jct|state=AL|US|231|US|431 in Huntsville
ending_terminus=jct|state=AL|I|65|US|31 near Ardmore
previous_route=52
next_route=54
browse=al browse
previous_route=229
route=
next_route=233

State Route 53 (SR-53) is a 345-mile state highway in the U.S. state of Alabama. The majority, between Dothan and Huntsville, is signed as U.S. Highway 231 (US-231), but the two ends - south to Florida and north to I-65/US-31 near Tennessee - are independent. In those areas, US-231 uses State Route 1, sharing the route with US-431 north of Huntsville.

The length of SR-53 is due in part to its irregular orientation. Beginning at its southern terminus, SR-53 assumes a slight northwestwardly trajectory as it passes through Dothan heading towards Montgomery. North of Montgomery, SR-53 and US-231 bear northeastwardly towards Sylacauga, where the routes begin a concurrency with U.S. Highway 280 and its unsigned partner route, SR-38. From Sylacauga, the routes head in a northwestwardly direction until they reach Harpersville where SR-53 and US-231 divert from US-280 and SR-38. North of Harpersville, SR-53/US-231 assumes a general north-south orientation until the routes reach Huntsville. At Huntsville, SR-53 diverts from US-231 and once again becomes a signed route until it reaches its terminus just west of Ardmore at Interstate 65/U.S. Highway 31. Alabama 53 actually touches (and Northbound enters) Tennessee before going down old US 31 Southbound to go back to I-65. Tennessee Highway 7 parallels the route on the state line and both Alabama and Tennessee mile markers are present on the highway.

Counties along the route

* Houston County
* Dale County
* Pike County
* Montgomery County
* Elmore County
* Coosa County
* Talladega County
* Shelby County
* St. Clair County
* Blount County
* Marshall County
* Madison County
* Limestone County

Cities along the route

* Dothan
* Ozark
* Troy
* Montgomery
* Wetumpka
* Rockford
* Sylacauga
* Harpersville
* Pell City
* Ashville
* Oneonta
* Blountsville
* Arab
* Huntsville
* Ardmore

References