 The route has been designated as the Appalachian Regional Commission's high-priority Corridor X-1, unsigned State Route 959, and Interstate 422.The 422 numbering does not conform to normal Interstate guidelines, since it only crosses its "parent" route Interstate 22 in the middle (and will connect only via I-222), while bypass and loop routes are usually numbered by the route connected to at or near each end, which would result in the use of a number such as 659.As early as the 1960s, the prospect of a complete beltway encircling Birmingham was envisioned.