3rd Avenue South
3rd Avenue South (originally Avenue C) is an east-west avenue in Birmingham. It continues U. S. Highway 78 westbound from Crestwood Boulevard (via an angled section of 5th Avenue South) through Avondale and into the City Center. Beginning at 36th Street the avenue is one-way westbound with three lanes of traffic.
US 78 turns north off of 3rd Avenue at 24th Street, continuing west along 8th Avenue North toward Arkadelphia Road. 3rd Avenue South proceeds through Midtown Birmingham, becoming an onramp to I-65 North after it crosses 12th Street South.
The avenue picks up again in Titusville as 3rd Avenue Southwest, a two-lane residential street running between Omega Street and Martin Luther King, Jr Drive at Elmwood Cemetery.
In Woodlawn and East Lake additional sections of 3rd Avenue South can be found. One runs for less than a block off of 59th Street South south of Georgia Road. Another picks up at 61st Street South and runs into the I-20 right of way just past 64th Street South. It picks up at 64th Place South on the other side of the interstate and continues to 67th Street South, where it ends in the turn a block shy of the Cascade Plunge. On the other side of the proposed Druid Hollow Park 3rd Avenue continues as a residential street between 70th Street South and 86th Street South. The alley between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in this area is promoted as a Musician's Hollow by the East Lake Arts District.
MAX Transit Route 17 runs along parts of 3rd Avenue South in Avondale.
History
3rd Avenue South was converted from two-way to one-way (westbound) traffic from 32nd Street to 14th Street in August 1955. The west-only traffic pattern was extended to I-65 in 1973 by the Alabama Department of Transportation's TOPICS (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety) program.
Notable locations
- For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 3rd Avenue South category.
Five Points South neighborhood
- I-65 (access to northbound lanes)
- 12th Street South intersection
- 13th Street South intersection
- 1301: Cain Awning
- 14th Street South intersection
- 15th Street South intersection
- 16th Street South intersection
- 1600: Wittichen Supply Company
- 1617: Mid-South Design Inc.
- 17th Street South intersection
- 1726: Former site of Rye-Ola bottling plant
- 18th Street South intersection
- Taziki's
- former location of St Mark's School (1892-1940)
- 1809: Hoover Sports & Imports
- 1817: Import Maintenance Service
- 1826: Housing Authority of the Birmingham District offices
- 19th Street South intersection
- Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral
- 1900: proposed Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham
- 1912: Carlstedt Company
- former location of Don Drennen Motor Company
- 20th Street South intersection
- 2001: Liberty National Building
- 2008: Baxley Dillard Dauphin
- 2018: former location of McElroy Motors
- Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 8 (Scott's Koneys)
- 21st Street South (Richard Arrington, Jr Boulevard South) intersection
- 2101: Plasma Care Inc.
- former location of Hanna Motor Co.
- Southern Armature Works
- 22nd Street South intersection
Southside neighborhood
- 22nd Street South intersection
- former location of Jim Burke Nash (1948)
- 2205: Sweet Tea Restaurant
- 2212: Bennette's BMW Service
- 2220: Bennette's Motor World
- 2221: Sherrill Auto Paint and Body
- 23rd Street South intersection
- 24th Street South intersection
- 2400: All About Trucks
- 2412: Omega Tires
- 2417: Grump's Great Grill
- 25th Street South intersection (access to Elton B. Stephens Expressway South)
- 2501: Southern Wholesale Automobiles
- 2514: MG Electronics & Equipment
- 2515: Max Communications
- 2516: Glass Masters
- Elton B. Stephens Expressway underpass
- 2610; Nations Rent
- 2616: Dog Days of Birmingham (2016-), former location of Cahaba Brewing Company (2012-2016), Silk in Design LLC
- 27th Street South intersection (access to Elton B. Stephens Expressway North)
- 2717: Odeon
- 2729: Medplex MD
- 2810: Jeffco Motor Company
- 2830: Aqua nightclub (formerly Elevation)
- 2900: Martin Biscuit Building (Cantina, Bettola, al.com, etc)
- 2901: Gallery Services
- 2924: Hop City
- 2929: Birmingham Benz
- 3000: Imaging Technologies
- 3009: former location of NorDys Gallery
- 3017: Terry's Uniform and Screen Printing
- 3022: Frontera
- 3024: Alternative Garage
- Russell's Speed Shop
- 3100: Arnold-Brown Metals & Supply
- 3115: Birmingham Auto Painting
- 3118: former location of Birmingham Brewing Company, Vulcan Breweries and Little Star Brewing Company
- 3200: Mayer Electric lighting showroom, former location of Birmingham Surgical Supply
- 3201: former location of Ed Salem's Drive-In #2, The Forty Thieves, Fantasies and Eunice Crabtree's Cut Rate Delicatessen & Bait Shop
- 3207: former location of Mabel's Beauty Shop & Chainsaw Repair
- 3221: LabCorp, former location of Bowl Lo-Mac bowling center
- 3300: Former location of Putt-Putt Golf Course
- Birmingham Regional Center of the Alabama Institute for Dead and Blind
- 34th Street South
- 3420: Workforce Investment Services
- 3440: Birmingham Career Center
- 3500: Lee-Rodgers Tire Company
- 3600: Christian Service Mission
Forest Park
- 37th Street South interesection
- 3709: Bryant & Company contractors
- 3719: Bottletree (formerly Za Za Zann, Misconceptions, Mikatam and the New Gizmo)
- 3621: former Hancock Fabrics location, originally the Alabama Mill Store
- 3800: Temple of Hope Baptist Church
- 3820: Amalgamated Transit Union
- 4003: Head to Tail Animal Care
- 4030: Hi-Tec Auto Service (formerly Soi Pham)
- 4100: Prestige Imports
- 4101: Chevron Station (former location of Becky's Deli)
- 4120: Avondale Business Center (Boxcar Vape, Wasabi Juan's, AllState Insurance, Ave Maria African Hair Braiding)
- 4121: Box Row (proposed), currently the Star Motel
- 4130: Acme Flooring
Forest Park/East Avondale
- 42nd Streeet South intersection
- former site of Avondale School
- 4231: Former location of Estetica Unisex Lolis salon
- 4244: Workshops, Inc
East Avondale
- 3rd Court South interesection
- 4322: Martin Building Maintenance
- 4800: former site of Butler Elementary School (later site of the 2008 Home Builders Blitz)
- 4809: East Avondale Apartments (built 1958)
- 4825: Birmingham Plastic Pipe & Supply
Locations on 3rd Avenue Southwest
- Omega Street intersection
- 3rd Street South intersection
- 2nd Street South intersection
- 1st Street South intersection
- Center Place South intersection
- Center Street South intersection
- 1st Street Southwest intersection
- Goldwire Street Southwest intersection
- Martin Luther King, Jr Drive (Montevallo Road Southwest) intersection