All right, you HSV history-buffs... (Huntsville, Madison: construction, university, live)

[pamnbam]

What is the origin of the name "Wall-Triana Hwy.?" It's an interesting/odd name.

Also, why do so many roads in Huntsville have multiple names (e.g. Wall-Triana/Sullivan, Zierdt/Shelton, Martin/James Record, University/Hwy. 72)?

[AJBarney]

Zierdt Rd is named after an Army general who was stationed at RSA, I believe.

[deesonic]

Originally Posted by pamnbam

What is the origin of the name "Wall-Triana Hwy.?" It's an interesting/odd name.

Also, why do so many roads in Huntsville have multiple names (e.g. Wall-Triana/Sullivan, Zierdt/Shelton, Martin/James Record, University/Hwy. 72)?

The mulitiple road names thing is not unique to Huntsville. I've lived in many other places over the years and found this "oddity" happens quite regularly everywhere. But one road I've always found interesting is Holmes Avenue and the fact that it apparently randomly jumps around between downtown Huntsville until it runs into Old Monrovia.

My guess on Wall-Triana is it was the main road between the town of Triana and some place that no longer exists called Wall?

I think Martin and JR were two separate roads that eventually were tied together. Don't know about Zierdt/Shelton at all.

I don't find anything unusual about Highway 72/University. It's typical for cities to give highways proper street names when they cross through town. You've got Memorial Parkway/Hwy 231/431, Governors Dr/Hwy 431, Jordan Ln/Highway 53, Rideout Road/Research Park Blvd/MLK/Hwy 255, etc.

[pyro4ik]

The multiple name thing I've seen all over. And I have seen roads change names as you cross towns/countys........what I have never seen in my life is one road change names 5 times in less than 10 miles:

Johnson Rd SW becomes Airport Rd SW (then SE), witch becomes Carl T Jones Rd SE, which becomes Baily Cove Rd SE, which becomes Green Cove Rd SE..............why?

[Reactionary]

pyro4ik - those roads were built as separate roads then connected later, e.g., Airport Road and Bailey Cove existed long before Carl T. Jones was built to cross the mountain. Airport Road went from the old airport to Whitesburg. Bailey Cove started at Four Mile Post and ended at Weatherly. Connecting those roads is a fairly recent development.

[markbrockman]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

pyro4ik - those roads were built as separate roads then connected later, e.g., Airport Road and Bailey Cove existed long before Carl T. Jones was built to cross the mountain. Airport Road went from the old airport to Whitesburg. Bailey Cove started at Four Mile Post and ended at Weatherly. Connecting those roads is a fairly recent development.

Bailey Cove went further than Weatherly as I lived right off Mountain Gap, back when it dead ended at Aldridge Creek (called T.P. Creek by us for some reason). The construction extended south of Mt.Gap.

Johnson Rd didn't used to line up with Airport, but had to be accessed by driving on the old, dead runways for many years. I'd say in the 1980s maybe, they connected them and removed most of the runways.

[Reactionary]

Bailey Cove ended at Weatherly until the 1980s. Todd Mill Road was the connector from Weatherly to Mountain Gap.

Look at the difference between the 1986 and 1996 maps:

Historical Maps of Madison County

[pamnbam]

Originally Posted by deesonic

I don't find anything unusual about Highway 72/University. It's typical for cities to give highways proper street names when they cross through town. You've got Memorial Parkway/Hwy 231/431, Governors Dr/Hwy 431, Jordan Ln/Highway 53, Rideout Road/Research Park Blvd/MLK/Hwy 255, etc.

This one I get naming-wise, but even business addresses reflect them differently. Take Lowes and Holiday Inn (just pulling two from the air). They're on the same road, technically, but Lowes' address is 7920 Hwy. 72 W Madison and Holiday Inn is 5903 University Drive Huntsville. Is it a Huntsville/Madison thing?

[Reactionary]

deesonic - I tried looking up Wall with no luck. Back in the 1830s there was a road called Wall Trace but no explanation of why (and couldn't find a map showing where but it was somewhere around Madison). AFAIK it is not a place (I looked at place names), so maybe it was someone's name, or maybe it's just named after a wall...

[nALgirl]

My mother had a friend with the last name Wall years ago who lived on Wall Triana. Unfortunately she doesn't remember her first name