An historic US highway endpoint in Mobile, AL
Photo credits: Justin
Cozart; Alex
Nitzman
Additional research: Adam
Froehlig
| Highway | Approx. time period |
|---|---|
| US 31 | 1926-1950s(?) |
| US 43 | 1934-2001 |
| US 45 | 1926-1950s(?) |
In the shots below, the view is looking south on Broad Street, at the intersection with Government Street. This first one was taken in 2002:
Nitzman, 2002
By that time, US 43 had been decommissioned south of Bay Bridge (more on that below). But see the streetlight post just left of the "West US 90" sign? That used to have an "End US 43" marker on it, shown in the photos below:
Nitzman, 1999
Below is a close-up of the old sign.
Nitzman, 1999
US 45 originally ended at that intersection as well. And it's possible that the original south beginning of US 31 was to the left on Government. In town, US 90/US 98 are routed down Government. At Broad, US 98 splits off:
Nitzman, 2002
That could've been the original south end of US 31, because to the right was not only the south beginning of US 43, but the original south beginning of US 45 as well. In fact, the upcoming assembly makes it seem as if that's still the case:
Cozart, 2003
Turning right there on Broad, after about 4 blocks, US 98 heads northwest on Spring Hill Avenue. US 45 once did the same, and from 1934-1955, US 43 did as well. Then from 1955-1962, US 43 continued to the right via St. Louis Street (it's a five-way intersection), and from 1962-2002, US 43 continued straight ahead on Broad. The photo below shows the old signage approaching that intersection:
Nitzman, 1999
The green signs on the gantry are shown close-up below:
Nitzman, 1999
After 1962, US 43 continued on its own up Broad, which curves east and becomes Beauregard Street. (At Telegraph Road, US 43 turned north again. That used to connect with Bay Bridge Road, but today Telegraph no longer crosses the railyards, and the south end of US 43 is far to the north now.) US 98 turned left on Spring Hill, as did US 45. Those signs were replaced in 2001 to indicate the recent truncations of both US 43 and US 45:
Nitzman, 2003
The green signs in the distance are shown close-up below:
Nitzman, 2003
Those reflect the new south terminus of US 45 (which is about a half-mile to the left). Below is a photo of the old signs that used to be here:
Nitzman, 1999
A left turn there leads to the Y-intersection with St. Stephens Road, which marks the current south end of US 45. You can view photos from there on my US 45 page. US 43's modern south terminus can be viewed on this page.