Existed: 1946 – present Length 28.6 km | South end: SR 18 in Gordon Constructed 1946 | |
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North end: US 441 Bus. / SR 22 / SR 24 in Milledgeville Counties Wilkinson County, Georgia, Baldwin County, Georgia | ||
State Route 243 (SR 243) is a south-north state highway located in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It runs for approximately 17.8 miles (28.6 km) in Wilkinson and Baldwin counties.
Contents
Map of GA-243, Georgia, USA
Route description
SR 243 begins at an intersection with SR 18 (Gray Highway) in Gordon, which is in Wilkinson County. The route runs southeast, paralleling a brief section of SR 18, before curving to the east. Along its west-east section, it intersects SR 18 Spur (Main Street). It then curves to the northeast until it meets the Fall Line Freeway. SR 243 follows the Fall Line Freeway over Lake Tchukolaho, through the town of Ivey, past the Holiday Hills Country Club, to a point northeast of Ivey. After the highway separates from the Fall Line Freeway, it has a more northerly routing. Almost immediately, the route enters Baldwin County and crosses a Central of Georgia Railway line. SR 243 curves to the northeast until it reaches the unincorporated community of Scottsboro. There, it has an intersection with US 441/SR 29. After the intersection, SR 243 is concurrency with US 441 Business for the rest of its length. The route heads north through Hardwick, and crosses over Fishing Creek into Milledgeville. US 441 Business/SR 243 travel north into downtown Milledgeville, along South Wayne Street. They turn left on West Franklin Street, pass Memory Hill Cemetery, and then turn right on South Clark Street before intersecting SR 49 (West Hancock Street). Just after this intersection, the two routes pass along the southwestern edge of Georgia College, and intersect SR 22/SR 24 (West Montgomery Street). Here, SR 243 meets its northern terminus, while US 441 Business continues north.
The only sections of SR 243 that are part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility and defense, are the section that runs along the Fall Line Freeway and the section that is concurrent with US 441 Business.
History
SR 243 was established in 1946 along an alignment from Gordon to Scottsboro. By 1952, the section from the southern terminus to about Ivey and a section just southwest of Scottsboro were paved. In 1953, the entire route from Gordon to Scottsboro was paved.