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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. The road will eventually be extended to create a near-complete bypass around Huntsville. ==History== 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. Highway 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. SR-255 was extended north in 1996 to State Route 53. The interchange with US-72 was modified as part of this work, and a third southbound lane was added between US-72 and Bradford Drive. However, an existing cloverleaf ramp that provided access from 72 westbound to 255 southbound was eliminated; it is now necessary for westbound 72 traffic to make a left turn across the eastbound lanes in order to reach southbound 255. In 2001, the road was renamed Research Park Boulevard for Cummings Research Park, which the road bisects. (The southward extension into the Arsenal is still named Rideout Road.) In 2005, a three mile extension was constructed to connect with Bob Wade Lane on the north side of Huntsville. This section was named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and built to the same road standards as the present at-grade portion of SR-255, allowing for future upgrade to limited access. The road was built as part of a deal with the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama Plant to allow faster access to I-565. In 2013, the at-grade intersection with SR-53 was replaced with an interchange. As part of this work, existing at-grade intersections with Blake Bottom Road and Dan Tibbs Road were eliminated, making the route all freeway from the Arsenal boundary to SR-53. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alabama State Route 255」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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