Huntsville, Alabama Traffic | Exploring North Alabama's Roadways

North Alabama is experiencing growth like never before, and more residents often means more traffic. You don’t have to succumb to sitting in traffic though; You just need to familiarize yourself with the major roadways in the Huntsville and Madison area and then plan your outings accordingly. Erica DeSpain from All Things Madison joins Matt Curtis to provide information about the major roadways in the Huntsville and Madison area, as well as traffic patterns and tips to navigate around the area. We'll look at I-565, Redstone Arsenal, Research Park Boulevard, Highway 72, and Madison's major roadways as well as providing insights into the traffic patterns of each of these routes, highlighting the busiest times of the day and alternative routes to avoid traffic congestion.

I-565 Traffic

Heading toward downtown Huntsville? At any given time, a lot of other people are too. The most congested time of day to travel into Huntsville from any given direction is during the morning rush hour commute. Recent roadway reports shared that heading east on I-565 to Huntsville from I-65 may take as long as 80 minutes. However, because I-565 is roughly a four-lane interstate in each direction most hours of the day see traffic flowing at a normal 70-mile-per-hour pace.

Did you know that I-565 wasn’t built until 1991? It took four full years to build! It’s hard to imagine North Alabama without this major roadway that connects I-65 to Huntsville, it didn’t exist until 30 years ago!

Redstone Arsenal Traffic

Approximately 46,000 people commute to Redstone every day, that number is expected to hit 50,000 by 2025! Though thousands of people go through the gates into Redstone each day, you don’t have to be worried about sitting in hours of traffic just to commute to and from Redstone each day. There are several ways to access various gates to get onto Redstone Arsenal.

Gate 9 is easily accessible from Research Park Boulevard, which sees many commuters who are traveling from areas like Meridianville, Hazel Green, Toney, and other communities that are on the northern side of North Alabama.

Many Redstone commuters from the east side of North Alabama often opt to take Gate 1 in south Huntsville. This gate is easily accessible by taking HWY 231 to Martin Road.

Gate 7 is accessible from Martin Road SW which intersects with Zierdt Road. Commuters from the west of Redstone Arsenal such as Town Madison, neighborhoods and communities along Zierdt Road, and the Triana and Mooresville communities will find that Gate 7 is more convenient than the other gate options.

If you’re heading to the Arsenal from Decatur or Madison though, I-565 is your best bet, just give yourself a little bit of time to get there during prime commuting hours.

Research Park Boulevard Traffic

Another area that sees a lot of traffic from residents from all over North Alabama is Cummings Research Park, which is smack dab in the middle of North Alabama on the west side of Huntsville. Cummings Research Park is home to about 300 different companies in the aerospace, defense, engineering, biotechnology, software development, manufacturing, and IT industries.

It’s also home to Bridge Street Town Center too, one of the area’s most desirable shopping destinations. One great thing about Research Park is that it is fairly easily accessible from communities all over North Alabama. It’s also close to the University of Alabama at Huntsville too as well.

Residents from Decatur and Huntsville often take I-565 to zip over to Research Park, while others from Madison, Athens, and Harvest may prefer to travel down Highway 72.

Highway 72 Traffic

Highway 72 stretches all the way from Florence to the center of Huntsville and is one of the most congested roadways in our area, but for a good reason! Not only is it a major way to navigate through Madison and north Huntsville, but it’s also lined with some of the best retail, restaurants, and entertainment venues in the area.

MidCity District is one of the newest and most explosive hot spots in the area and is situated right on Highway 72 in Huntsville. MidCity features Top Golf, Dave & Buster’s, Trader Joe’s, High Point Climbing Gym, and so much more. It’s even home to the award-winning Orion Amphitheater which has a new exit from Research Park Blvd that zips right over to it!

Here’s our advice regarding Highway 72. We suspect you’ll be traveling along Highway 72 every so often, and while you likely won’t hit bumper-to-bumper traffic every time, it’s always smart to give yourself a bit of time if you know you’re using 72 to get from one end of town to another.

Madison’s Major Roadways & Town Madison

The fastest ways to get from Huntsville to Madison are via I-565 on the south side or Highway 72 on the north side.

Once you’re in Madison, you’ll likely travel north and south along three main roads: County Line Road, Wall Triana Hwy, or Hughes Road. Madison is seemingly one big square, and though traffic has picked up in the area, there are still a handful of main roads and side roads that one can take at any given time to get where one needs to be quickly.

Do you know what else is in Madison that’s worth mentioning how to get to? The Rocket City Trash Pandas stadium, which is situated within the brand new community of Town Madison.

Town Madison is a family favorite place to hang out or grab a bite to eat! If you’re traveling to the stadium from Madison, there are a number of ways to get there using smaller, two-lane roads, but most visitors coming from Athens, Decatur, and Huntsville will access Town Madison via I-565.

Memorial Parkway & South Huntsville Traffic

It’s keenly important to know about Memorial Parkway, which in my opinion is one of the best-designed roadways in the area. It runs north and south through Huntsville and features no stoplights! It’s roughly 2-4 lanes on each side and is designed around an overpass system, which helps traffic flow well.

Travelers often get off on Clinton Ave to head towards the Von Braun Center or downtown. There is a Governors Drive exit that provides access to Huntsville Hospital or Monte Sano Mountain. Airport Road is another well-traveled road that is accessible from Memorial Parkway and features many of the area’s most popular dining options! Airport Road is also a preferred gateway to south Huntsville, the Ledges Golf Course and Country Club, and more.

Summary

If you familiarize yourself with I-565, Highway 72, and Memorial Parkway, you’ll be able to begin navigating your way around town with ease. Local communities throughout North Alabama are diligently and consistently working to widen roads, improve commute times, and keep safety as their #1 goal.

If you have questions about roadways around North Alabama, don’t hesitate to reach out to either of us! We’d love to share with you what we know so that you can make informed decisions about where to live, work, and get around town. You can find All Things Madison at AllThingsMadison.com or our social media handles @allthingsmadisonal

Take a look around MattCurtisRealEstate.com for more helpful information if you’re looking to buy or sell in the area, or you can browse through our YouTube channel which is packed with helpful videos to assist with a smooth transition to the area.

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