The Tensas River / ˈ t ɛ n s ɔː / is a river in Louisiana in the United States . The river, known as Tensas Bayou in its upper reaches, begins in East Carroll Parish in the northeast corner of the state and runs roughly southwest for 177 miles (285 km) more or less in parallel with the Mississippi River . The confluence of the Tensas and the Ouachita rivers, in Jonesville in Catahoula Parish , creates the Black River , not to be confused with Black Lake in Natchitoches Parish in north-central Louisiana.
24-656: For the twenty miles south of Interstate 20 between Delhi and Tallulah , the river winds its way through the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (in Madison , Franklin , and Tensas parishes), which was established in 1980 "for the preservation and development of environmental resources" about the river. In 1881 the Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve the navigation by removing ordinary obstacles. The navigation work began at Dallas,
48-489: A feasibility study for this extension. While this extension has considerable support among towns in southeastern North Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has stated that they have no interest in upgrading their portion of US 76 to an Interstate. Instead, South Carolina is concentrating their efforts on plans to build I-73 that will terminate near Myrtle Beach . This proposed extension
72-1053: A protected area in Louisiana is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Louisiana is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Interstate 20 Interstate 20 ( I‑20 ) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States . I-20 runs 1,539 miles (2,477 km) beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Reeves County, Texas , and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina . Between Texas and South Carolina, I-20 runs through northern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The major cities that I-20 connects to include Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas ; Shreveport, Louisiana ; Jackson, Mississippi ; Birmingham, Alabama ; Atlanta, Georgia ; and Columbia, South Carolina . From its terminus at I-95,
96-828: A village on the stream in Madison Parish. The bottomland hardwood forest near the Tensas River is some of the remaining habitat of the Louisiana black bear . The name Tensas is derived from the historic indigenous Taensa people. The first plantations along the Tensas River were established by settlers who had earlier plantations across the Mississippi River in the Natchez District. 31°37′54″N 91°48′20″W / 31.63167°N 91.80556°W / 31.63167; -91.80556 This article related to
120-765: Is also named the Purple Heart Highway from I-285 in DeKalb County to US 129 / US 441 / SR 24 in Madison, Georgia , and it is called the Carl Sanders Highway from US 129/US 441/SR 24 to the South Carolina state line. Upon leaving Augusta, I-20 crosses the Savannah River and enters the Palmetto State and heads northeastward, bypassing Aiken and Lexington before reaching
144-585: Is an unusually expansive stack interchange , at the junction of I-20, I-55 north, and US 49 south. The interchange replaces a former directional interchange at I-55 north and a cloverleaf interchange at US 49. From the stack, I-20 continues eastward to Meridian , where it begins the nearly 160-mile (260 km) overlap with I-59 . The route of the Mississippi section of I-20 is defined in Mississippi Code § 65-3-3. I-20 (along with I-59) crosses
168-410: Is currently unfunded. Two I-420s were planned but never completed or built. One was to be a bypass around Monroe, Louisiana , but was never built. The other I-420 was planned as a bypass to the south of Downtown Atlanta . Due to anti-freeway sentiments , this I-420 was never completed, and the already-built portion has been signed as State Route 154 (SR 154)/ SR 166 , named
192-429: Is now signed I-30 (Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike and from US 80/I-30 intersection at Mesquite to Downtown Dallas ), US 80 (former stretch between I-635 and Terrell ), and Spur 557 (bypass around Terrell). In 1977, I-20 was rerouted to go through the southern sections of Fort Worth, Arlington , Grand Prairie , Dallas , and Mesquite . It split off from the old route initially at I-820 in west Fort Worth
216-524: The Atlanta metropolitan area . On clear days, eastbound motorists get their first view of Downtown Atlanta as they come over the top of Six Flags Hill. The Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park is easily visible off exit 46 eastbound. The highway then passes through the center of Atlanta , meeting with I-75 and I-85 , which share a common expressway (the Downtown Connector ). It continues through
240-556: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex . The La Entrada al Pacífico corridor runs along I-20 between US Route 385 (US 385) and Farm to Market Road 1788 (FM 1788). Between Monahans and I-10, I-20 has an 80-mile-per-hour (130 km/h) speed limit. From the highway's opening in the 1960s through 1977, I-20 originally went through the heart of the metroplex via the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike . This old route
264-491: The Florence area. It is near Florence where I-20 sees its eastern terminus at I-95 . However, for about two miles (3.2 km), the highway continues into Florence as I-20 Bus. I-20 in the Palmetto State is known as either the J. Strom Thurmond Freeway or John C. West Freeway. The first section to be completed was the bridge over the Savannah River in 1965; the last, the section between US 401 and I-95 (including
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#1732859100303288-545: The Langford Parkway (formerly the Lakewood Freeway). Texas State Highway Spur 557 Spur 557 is a 4.369-mile-long (7.031 km) spur route in the city of Terrell in the U.S. state of Texas . Spur 557 is a freeway connector between I-20 and US 80 . It is signed as "Spur 557 To I-20" eastbound or "Spur 557 To US 80" westbound. Spur 557 is the original routing of I-20 prior to I-20 being rerouted to
312-569: The Mississippi River . Before crossing the Mississippi, the highway passes Tallulah . At the Mississippi River, I-20 leaves Louisiana and enters Vicksburg . Upon entering Mississippi by crossing the Mississippi River , I-20 immediately enters Vicksburg . Between Edwards and Clinton , the highway mostly follows the original two-lane routing of US 80 . In Jackson, I-20 sees a short concurrency with both I-55 and US 49 . Also in Jackson
336-521: The Alabama state line near York , and it stays conjoined as it passes through western Alabama and Tuscaloosa . At Birmingham , the two highways pass through downtown together before splitting at exit 130 just east of Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport . I-20 continues eastward through Oxford – Anniston and the Talladega National Forest , passing by Talladega Superspeedway in
360-526: The Atlanta metropolitan area eastward and through the eastern half of Georgia until it exits the state, crossing the Savannah River at Augusta . Throughout the state, I-20 is conjoined with unsigned State Route 402 (SR 402). Also, I-20 from the Alabama state line to I-285 in Atlanta is named the "Tom Murphy Freeway", but it is called the "Ralph David Abernathy Freeway" within I-285. The Interstate Highway
384-663: The Louisiana border near Waskom. In Louisiana , I-20 roughly parallels US 80 through the northern part of the state. Entering the state from near Waskom, Texas , the highway immediately enters the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area , intersecting I-49 near downtown Shreveport and passing close to Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City. I-20 traverses mainly rural, hilly terrain, bypassing Minden , Grambling , and Ruston before reaching Monroe . From Monroe, I-20 enters flatter terrain as it approaches
408-639: The business spur), opened in August ;1975. I-20 was built in 1957 connecting Texas to the east coast running through Shreveport, Ruston, and Monroe making it their first Interstate. I-20's exit numbers in Georgia were changed in 2000. In 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation proposed extending I-20 eastward from Florence to Wilmington at the behest of North Carolina Governor Mike Easley and his 'Strategic Transportation Plan' for
432-427: The highway continues about two miles (3.2 km) eastward into the city of Florence as I-20 Business (I-20 Bus.). I-20 runs from Texas to South Carolina serving major southern economic hubs such as Dallas–Fort Worth and Atlanta . I-20 begins in western Reeves County at a fork with I-10. From there, the highway travels east-northeastward through Odessa , Midland , and Abilene before turning eastward toward
456-560: The later on at its current junction near Aledo in Parker County . It rejoins the old route near Terrell. Part of I-20 in Dallas used to be signed as I-635 and shares the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway name with the remainder of I-635. Parts on the south side of Fort Worth were originally signed as I-820. I-20 continues eastward from Terrell, bypassing Tyler , Longview , and Marshall before crossing
480-544: The process, which is visible from the highway. Also in Birmingham, the intersection of I-20/I-59 and I-65 was known as a Malfunction Junction because of the interchange's somewhat-confusing design, and the number of traffic accidents that occurred there. This section of the Interstate and its interchanges have since been reconfigured. I-20 enters Georgia near Tallapoosa and after passing through western Georgia, it enters
504-578: The south. The route traverses a largely undeveloped area in Kaufman County, Texas between Forney, Texas and Terrell, Texas and serves to distribute eastbound traffic onto Interstate 20 and westbound traffic onto the US 80 freeway leading into the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex . Spur 557 was designated on August 18, 1987 on an old alignment of I-20 when it was rerouted southeast of Dallas. I-20
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#1732859100303528-491: The southeast portion of the state. The proposed route would follow US 76 east from Florence to Whiteville, North Carolina , then parallel US 74 /US 76 into Wilmington. Part of this route is already designated the future eastern extension of I-74 . As part of the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users transportation legislation, North Carolina received $ 5 million (equivalent to $ 7.5 million in 2023 ) for
552-459: The state capital of Columbia , which can be reached most directly by taking I-26 east at exit 64 ("Malfunction Junction"), then, almost immediately, I-126 / US 76 . At Columbia, I-20 bypasses the city to the north and again turns northeastward, bypassing Fort Jackson and Camden . After crossing the Wateree River , it turns due east and passes by tiny Bishopville , before reaching
576-547: Was originally designated over the route in 1959. Spur 557 is a short freeway connector between I-20 and US 80 west of Terrell. It begins at the eastern end of the freeway segment of US 80 and heads towards the southeast. US 80 continues to the east as a surface road to Terrell. Spur 557 has two interchanges between its two termini: one at the Las Lomas Parkway and another at FM 148 . The spur merges with eastbound traffic at its eastern terminus at I-20. The entire route
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