Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway System. Designated in 2012, I-22 follows the route of the older U.S. Route 78 (US 78). The freeway mainly spans rural areas and passes numerous small towns along its route, including Fulton, Tupelo, New Albany, and Holly Springs in Mississippi; and Jasper, Winfield, and Hamilton in Alabama. I-22 was upgraded to Interstate Highway standards to close a gap in the Interstate Highway System, allowing for more direct connections between cities in the southeast with cities in the central part of the country. I-22 indirectly connects I-240, I-40, I-55, and I-69 in the Memphis metropolitan area via US 78 and I-269 with I-65, I-459, I-20, and I-59 in the Birmingham metro area. Route description I-22 serves as a connection between Birmingham and suburban Memphis, filling in a gap in the Interstate Highway System. It begins at an interchange with I-269 at Byhalia, Mississippi, approximately from downtown Memphis and travels southeast across northern Mississippi and Alabama, before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately north of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Mississippi I-22 begins at an interchange with I-269 at Byhalia in northwestern Mississippi and continues across rural areas, connecting towns such as Fulton, Tupelo, New Albany, and Holly Springs. Alabama I-22 continues across rural areas in northwestern Alabama, and connects the towns of Jasper, Winfield, and Hamilton before ending at an interchange with I-65 approximately north of downtown Birmingham. History The concept of a Memphis-to-Birmingham expressway was discussed as early as the 1950s, but did not move beyond talk for more than 20 years. When studies for I-22 began, the highway was proposed to continue west to downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and end at I-240 and I-69. Several other proposals were also considered. One took I-22 along I-269 to I-55/I-69 and another took it along Crump Boulevard to end at I-55, but those plans never materialized. The part of I-22 just east of Fulton, Mississippi, was approved by Congress as "Corridor X" in 1978, as a part of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and parts of I-22 have been under construction ever since. Corridor X was also designated as "High Priority Corridor 10" in the Federal National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, and as "High Priority Corridor 45"