1st Avenue North
First Avenue North is an east-west street running through downtown Birmingham. The westernmost section by that name ends at Center Street, although the road continues further west as Cotton Avenue Southwest. The easternmost section ends at West Boulevard along Roebuck Municipal Golf Course. First Avenue North is the only east-west Birmingham street to run continuously from Center Street to Roebuck. It is also a two-way street for its entire length, the majority of which is four to five lanes wide. Between Carraway Boulevard (formerly 26th Street) and 34th Street, 1st Avenue is on a viaduct which runs beside Sloss Furnaces.
U.S. Highway 11 runs along 1st Avenue from 9th Street in the east to between 86th and 87th Streets in the west. At this point in the west, the road forks, with Highway 11 continuing along Parkway East while 1st Avenue, the lesser route, continues for a block and a half to West Boulevard. U.S. Highway 78 also runs along 1st Avenue between 9th Street and 24th Street.
In addition, 1st Avenue is fully accessible from and to Interstate 59. It is directly accessible from Interstate 20 eastbound and provides direct access to I-20 westbound. It is accessible from the northbound side of the Elton B. Stephens Expressway (Highways 31 and 280). It passes under Interstate 65 without providing any access.
Notable locations
For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 1st Avenue North category.
- 1904: Corporate Realty Development
- 20th Street intersection: Heaviest Corner on Earth
- 1927: Woodward Building
- 1928: Empire Building
- 2013: McAdory Building
- 2015: Caldwell-Milner Building
- 2100: Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Building
- 2101: Steiner Bank Building
- 2310: Neighborhood Market
- 3300: U.S. Pipe headquarters
- 5525: Woodlawn City Hall
- 5620: Woodlawn High School
- 8501: Green Acres Cafe, East Lake location