Old Shell Road

Old Shell Road is a thoroughfare located in central Mobile County with the entirety of its length being within the City of Mobile.

Old Shell Road is predominantly a two lane road, with a four lane section from Schillinger Road to University Boulevard, which was widened to accommodate traffic from the University of South Alabama.

Old Shell Road begins at Schillinger Road within the city limits of Mobile (annexed in 2007) where it proceeds eastward. West of Schillinger the roadway is known as Tanner Williams Road. Old Shell crosses into the pre-2007 city limits at Cody Road, with major intersections at Hillcrest, University, Bit & Spur, McGregor, Tuthill, Sage, Florida, Upham, Mobile Infirmary (formerly Louiselle)/Kenneth, Catherine, Lafayette, Hallett and Broad. Old Shell Road ends at Broad street, which is the traditional boundary for Downtown Mobile. Old Shell Road is located on the north side of the city of Mobile, as well as within northern Mobile County. Old Shell Road crosses Interstate 65, the traditional dividing line between the east and the west of the city, but does not have an intersection with it.

Old Shell is composed of residential, commercial, and industrial establishments, mixed throughout the road. It has maintained a highly residential character throughout and traverses some of the city's wealthiest areas as well as some of its most economically desperate areas, with these areas often being in close proximity to each other as is the case of wealthy Spring Hill and Ashland Place which have depressed Crichton in between them.

Major neighborhoods and subdivisions located along Old Shell Road include:

East Drive, Country Club Woods, Country Club Estates/Wimbledon, Ridgelawn, Austill, Village of Spring Hill, Crichton, Ashland Place, and 19th century homes between McGill-Toolen and Broad Street

Old Shell Road has a reputation as being something of an "education highway". Old Shell Road is home to three of four of Mobile's currently operational private high schools, two magnet schools, two private elementary/middle level schools and both of the city's four year colleges. Old Shell is also within a block of Mobile's only Islamic educational facility as well as a public school named for author Augusta Evans Wilson and is within two blocks of two more of the city's private schools.

The following educational institutions are located on (or near) Old Shell Road:

Corpus Christi Catholic School, located on McKenna Drive which is a spur street off of Hillcrest Road roughly a half mile down from the Old Shell intersection.

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Wikipedia