West end: SR 193 in Flintstone | Length 265.5 km | |
Tourist
routes: Cohutta–Chattahoochee Scenic Byway East end: US 76 at the South Carolina state line Counties Walker County, Georgia, Catoosa County | ||
State Route 2 (SR 2) is a 165-mile-long (266 km) east-west state highway in the far northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway serves southern suburbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as much of the mountainous area in the northern part of the state. It traverses the counties of Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Gilmer, Fannin, Union, Towns, and Rabun. It connects Flintstone, in the northwestern part of the state, with the South Carolina state line southeast of Clayton in the northern part and the northeastern part of the state. It also travels through Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Blairsville, and Hiawassee. Parts of the highway in the Whitfield and Murray county area are designated as the Cohutta–Chattahoochee Scenic Byway.
Contents
Map of GA-2, Georgia, USA
Route description
SR 2 begins at an intersection with SR 193 in the community of Flintstone, the route travels east along Battlefield Parkway, with a brief concurrency with US 27/SR 1. It then has an interchange with Interstate 75 (I-75), before reaching US 41/US 76/SR 3. After a brief concurrency with US 41/US 76/SR 3 through Ringgold, SR 2 splits off in Stone Church and continues east. After crossing the Conasauga River, the route has another brief concurrency with SR 225, then continues a short distance east to US 411/SR 61 in the community of Cisco. SR 2 travels concurrent with US 411/SR 61 to Chatsworth. In Chatsworth, SR 2 travels concurrent with SR 52 to the east past Fort Mountain to Ellijay. Here, SR 2 begins a lengthy concurrency with US 76 to the South Carolina state line. US 76/SR 2/SR 5/SR 515, travel to the northeast to Blue Ridge. In town, SR 5 departs to the north, while US 76/SR 2/SR 515 continue east to Blairsville. East of Blairsville, the concurrency arcs to the north, then east, around Brasstown Bald. West of Hiawassee, SR 515 departs to the north, and US 76/SR 2 are joined by SR 17, then SR 75 in Hiawassee. East of Hiawassee, SR 17/SR 75 depart to the south, and US 76/SR 2 continue east through a series of switchbacks over the Eastern Continental Divide to Clayton. At this point, US 76/SR 2 have a brief concurrency with US 23/US 441/SR 15. The two highway curve to the southeast and meet the eastern terminus of SR 2, the South Carolina state line. Here, US 76 continues toward Westminster.
The only portion of SR 2 that are included as part of the National Highway System, a system of roadways important to the nation's economy, mobility, and defense is the Chatsworth–Clayton segment.
History
SR 2 originally followed a winding route through the Cohutta Mountains between Cisco and Blue Ridge. Due to the ruggedness of the terrain, coupled with landslides on one section of the route, SR 2 was rerouted to travel concurrently with SR 52 over Fort Mountain. A section of SR 2 from Fort Oglethorpe east to US 41/US 76/SR 3 is named the Baxter Shavers Memorial Highway after a deputy sheriff that was killed on this highway on April 14, 1978. For some unknown reason, local residents of Catoosa County and the surrounding area refer to SR 2 as "2A".
On March 25, 1958, the bridge over the Cartecay River at the city limits of East Ellijay was designated the A. Charles Soule Bridge.