Governors Drive (Huntsville)

Governors Drive

Intersection at Gallatin Street
Length	7.0 mi (11.3 km)
Location	Huntsville, Alabama
East end	Dug Hill Road
Major junctions	US 231 (Memorial Parkway)
West end	I‑565

Governors Drive is a major east–west thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It follows U.S. Route 431 (US-431) in east Huntsville and State Route 53 (SR-53) in west Huntsville. Governors Drive is one of the main entrance points to the city from the east, carrying on average approximately 35,000 vehicles a day across Monte Sano Mountain.

From the east, US-431 travels north up Monte Sano Mountain where it meets Dug Hill Road and becomes Governors Drive. From there, the four-lane highway turns to the west and meets Monte Sano Boulevard at the top of the mountain providing access to Monte Sano State Park. The highway then continues down the mountain, passing a Scenic Overlook and intersecting multiple surface streets along the way. Once down the mountain, the road widens to seven lanes where it intersects California Street and travels through the medical district intersecting with Franklin Street, Whitesburg Drive and Madison Street which provides direct access to Huntsville Hospital Emergency Room. The next intersection, Gallatin Street leads to the main entrance of Huntsville Hospital along with the new Twickenham Square development.

Continuing to the west, Governors Drive intersects Havard Drive where the new Downtown Gateway is being constructed. This extension of Harvard Drive will provide a direct connection to Big Spring Park and Downtown Huntsville. The road then travels south of the oldest Baptist Church in Alabama, the First Baptist Church of Huntsville, past the well-known Eggbeater Jesus then crosses over a former Louisville and Nashville Railroad rail line and intersects Monroe Street, one of the main access points to Downtown, providing access to the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library. The road then meets Memorial Parkway at which point US-431 turns to the north; Governors Drive continues through the intersection to the west and joins SR-53. The highway narrows down to five lanes at Clinton Avenue, the main access point to Downtown for West Huntsville. Finally the highway continues to the west to meet with Interstate 565 (I-565) and Jordan Lane, where SR-53 continues to the north.