Research Park Blvd (Huntsville)
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| Research Park Boulevard | ||||
Map before extension past SR-53
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by ALDOT | ||||
| Length: | 10.052 mi (16.177 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | Rideout Road in Redstone Arsenal | |||
    I-565 / US 72 Alt. in the Redstone Arsenal US 72 / SR 2 in Huntsville SR 53 in Huntsville |
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| North end: | Bob Wade Lane in Huntsville | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Madison | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Research Park Boulevard (State Route 255 or SR-255) runs from I-565 to Bob Wade Lane on the north and west sides of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama. Much of the route is a limited access highway, with the entire route planned to be limited access. Plans call for the road to be extended to create a near-complete bypass around Huntsville.
State Route 255 was created around 1969 as part of a proposed northern bypass of Huntsville. The original route ran from Redstone Arsenal Gate 9 to US-72 as limited access highway with exits for U.S. Route 72 Alternate/State Route 20 (now Interstate 565), Old Madison Pike, and ending at US-72, with plans to extend north. The interchange with SR-20 was intended only to provide access to the Arsenal's Gate 9 and accordingly had an incomplete set of ramps; going southbound on 255 there was no direct access to 20, and from 20 it was only possible to enter 255 going southbound. SR-255 only appeared on maps and was unsigned, and was better known as Rideout Road. The road continues southward past Gate 9 into Redstone Arsenal and actually has an additional interchange at the Toftoy Thruway, but this is not considered part of the state route.
A fourth interchange opened in 1989. At that time, Bradford Drive was overpassed over 255 to connect the existing east side of Cummings Research Park to the recently opened west side. A set of ramps provided full access between the two roads. During the construction of I-565 in 1990, a truck towing a crane dislodged the southbound bridge over SR-20 forcing an earlier replacement of the bridge. SR-255 was first signed as an exit off of 565.
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