Bessemer Super Highway

This article is about the highway, for the hip hop album, see 2Lue.

Bessemer Super Highway (or Bessemer Superhighway, originally the Birmingham-Bessemer Boulevard) is the section of U. S. Highway 11 connecting the cities of Bessemer and Birmingham. Between Border Street and Western Hills Mall, it is called Bessemer Road.

The divided four-lane highway, the first in the state, replaced a circuitous route through West End, Powderly and Lipscomb which was slowed by numerous railroad grade crossings. It was designed in the 1930s by Alabama State Highway Department engineers who used the German Autobahn system as a model. The chosen route followed a nearly straight line from 3rd Avenue West in Fairview, past the Alabama State Fairgrounds at Five Points West to 19th Street North in the heart of downtown Bessemer. It continues through Bessemer as 9th Avenue North.

As the project proceeded, many of the rail lines along the route were elevated on steel and concrete trestles to bridge over the highway. The new highway itself was raised onto a long viaduct, later named the Mary Bryant Bridge, as it crossed over rail yards on the way into Bessemer.

Due to the shortage of funds prevailing during the Great Depression, the State set aside plans to build large interchanges that would allow for limited freeway access. Had it been built according to the initial designs, the Bessemer Super Highway would have been distinguished, ahead of the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as the first freeway in the United States.

In 1940 the highway department did install lighting along the entire route, thus creating what was, at the time, dubbed the longest "white way" east of the Rocky Mountains. The 227 pole lights were installed by the Birmingham Electric Company over 23 days, including Sundays. The system was turned on at a ceremony at 7:00 PM on December 30 of that year. The project, instigated by the Bessemer Junior Chamber of Commerce was hailed as "a boon to the national defense program and as a monument to progress of traffic safety engineering in Alabama."

The Super Highway, as it quickly came to be known, spurred the development of new businesses catering to the driving public in the post-World War II boom. The corridor's economic growth continued nearly unabated until the completion of I-59/20.

In 2010 the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham proposed a revitalization plan for the Super Highway anchored by improved mass transit. The transit corridor would include primary stops at Five Points West, Aaron Aronov Drive/B. Y. Williams Drive, downtown Bessemer, Academy Drive, and Eastern Valley Road. Commercial revitalization would be encouraged at those intersections.

Notable locations

Midfield

• Weibel Drive/Aaron Aronov Drive (north) / B. Y. Williams Drive (south) intersection, road continues east as Bessemer Road
  • south side:
    • 100: Egg Roll Express, former location of Golden Skillet fried chicken (1975)
    • 104: Wendy's restaurant
  • north side:
    • Western Hills Plaza shopping center (extends into Fairfield)
      • 101: Walgreen's / Western Union
      • 103: Henderson's
      • 127: Riviera Fitness Center
      • 133: former location of Shakey's Pizza Parlor (1977)
      • 137: Check 'N Go / Top Fashion
      • 141: Shoe Show Mega Store
      • 155: Hair Show
      • 157: Citi Trends
      • 161: Save A Lot
      • 165: Fred's
    • 199: Mutual Savings Credit Union

• Brookwood Road East / Brookwood Road West intersects (south only)
  • south side:
    • 500: Midfield Motor Co.
  • north side:
    • 401: T & M Wholesalers

• Woodward Road intersects
  • south side:
    • 506: Adamson West, former location of Bill Byrd Kia
    • 512: former location of Angry Revolt head shop
    • 544: former location of Sound of Birmingham recording studio
    • 560: King Boyz Towing / U-Haul neighborhood dealer
  • north side:
    • 549: DriveTime Inspection Center, former location of Midfield Dodge
    • 555: Auto Professional Car Sales

• High Ore Line Trail crosses (formerly High Ore Line railroad)
  • south side:
    • 580: Midfield Paint, Body & Mechanic Shop
    • 588: Coram Wholesale Used Tires, former location of Ingels Evinrude (1978)
    • 630: former location of WVOK-AM studios (1947-1980s)
  • north side:
    • 575: Public Storage
    • 587: Rockett's Car Audio Window
    • 589: The Avondale West event center (2023–), former location of JCCEO Energy Assistance Office / Midfield Senior Nutrition Center
    • 591-623: Woodfield Square shopping center, former location of Auto Movies #1 (built 1948)
      • 591: The Game Room. former Winn-Dixie location
      • 601: Onyx House of Style
      • 605: Octapharma Plasma
      • 613: Fresenius Kidney Care Midfield
      • 616: former location of Carnaggio's restaurant (1960)
      • 623: Acceptance Auto Insurance

• Etheridge Drive intersects (north only)
  • south side:
    • 650: International Auto Wholesalers
    • 652: Phil's Tint & Alarm
    • 654: TitleBucks
    • 656: AutoZone
  • north side:
    • 631: Western Health Center (2015-), former location of The Vending Center (demolished 2012)

• Wilkes Road (north) / Cairo Avenue (south) intersects, numbering from Birmingham ends
  • south side:
    • 5323: Lavada's Flowers
    • 5317: Valhalla Funeral Home
    • 5301: Pop-In 'N'-Out / Citgo gas station
    • 5275: Lloyd's Auto Sales
  • north side:
    • 5410: Church's Chicken
    • 5400: former location of Paulson's Restaurant and Ma Reatha's
    • 5320: O'Reilly Auto Parts
    • 5300: Chevron gas station / Fedcorp

Brighton

• Wilkes Boulevard (north) Sugar Ray Drive (south) intersects
  • south side:
    • 5228 [sic]: Car Circus / Circus Pawn Shop
    • 5227: Hatcher Law Office
    • 5205: Astro Auto Dismantlers
    • 5203: Blue Bird Tires
    • 5201: Blue Bird Sunoco, formerly Blue Bird BP
    • 5131: former location of Westwood Auto Parts
    • 5137-5163: Smart Bidz electronics
  • north side:
    • 5233 [sic]: Church of God In Christ Alabama State Headquarters
    • 5204: Bre's Restaurant & Catering, former location of Angela's Southern Style
    • 5200: Great Start Child Development Center
• Bessemer Avenue (north) / Martin Luther Avenue (south) intersects
  • north side:
    • Rose Avenue, access to Bon-Aire Community
    • 5170: former location of Anthony Underwood Automotive (2011-2014)
    • 5000: former location of Piggly-Wiggly, Sav U Foods (-2012)
  • south side (Birmingham's Roosevelt neighborhood):
    • 4901: Intensive Care Beauty Salon
    • 4601: Birmingham Fire Station No. 11 (2005)
    • 4545: Fantasyland Restaurant, former location of Whitson's Famous Foods, Fantasyland bingo parlor, originally Roosevelt City Hall
    • 4541: El Molcajete
    • 4539: Ace Motel
• end of Birmingham's Roosevelt neighborhood
  • 4510: Diamond Club (2014-), former location of Bama Drive-In (built 1966), Club Grasshopper, Palace Bingo
  • 4500: My Store / Exxon gas station
  • 4517: George's Auto Parts / RCP Auto Parts, former location of Wigwam Village #5 motor court
  • 4513: Super Highway Auto Sales

Bessemer

• Valley Creek passes below
  • 4422: Sublett Portable Buildings
• Brewer Drive intersects (south only)
  • south side:
    • 4341: Family Dollar
    • 4325: Boost Mobile
    • 4321: Holiday Bowl (built 1959 at 4315 Bessemer Super Highway)
    • 4319: Metro by T-Mobile
    • 4301: Hiway Host Motel (originally the first Holiday Inn in Alabama and the first location of Michael's steak house)
    • 4201: Terrace Oaks Care & Rehabilitation Center
    • 4105: Auto West Bumpers & Grills
    • 4101: Middlebrooks Truck & Equipment
    • 4005: Taqueria Los Diaz / Los Diaz Tienda Mexicana, former location of Cuernos Chuecos, Carniceria y Taqueria La Vaquita
    • 3829: Brothers Fireworks
    • 3825: World Famous High Roller event center
    • 3801: Austin Auto Parts
    • 3800: former location of Marineland boat sales (1976)
    • entrance to Woodward Estates Mobile Home Park
    • 3829: Life Storage
    • 3345: Discount Auto Salvage
    • 3321: Dollar Tree
    • 3333: possible former location of Bessemer Lodge No. 509 of the Loyal Order of Moose / Moose Park
  • north side:
    • 4412: former location of La Plasita tienda (2011-2015)
    • 4400: Brighton Christian Memorial (2015-), former location of Brighton Funeral Home Services (-2015)
    • 4330: Holiday Mobile Home Park
    • 4200: Inside Out Health, Wellness & Fitness (Christine & Allen Law 2023–), former location of Long-Lewis Ford, Long Lewis Western Star, Long-Lewis Sterling
    • 4006: Anthony Underwood Automotive (2015-)
    • 4000: EJ's Sports Bar & Grill
    • 3824: former location of Lester Mulligan Automotive
    • 3551: Life Storage
    • 3420: N & N Uniforms
    • 3418: La Oaxaquena Paleteria y Neveria Lichita
    • 3410: Aligment Tire
    • 3404: P. A. Tire Shop & Towing
    • 3200: Holiday Food Store, former location of Holiday Drug Store
• Birmingham Southern Railroad crosses (road continues as 9th Avenue North Bessemer)

References

• "Accidents Expected To Be Cut By Monument To Traffic Safety." (December 31, 1940) The Birmingham News, p. 11
• Holley, Joe (n. d.) "Bessemer Super Highway" Archiblog/AL.com
• Norris, Toraine (April 27, 2010) "Plans in works to revitalize Bessemer Superhighway area." The Birmingham News
• Norris, Toraine (April 27, 2010) "History of Bessemer Superhighway." The Birmingham News