Length: 355.11 mi (571.49 km) SR 401 SR 402 → | Existed: 1963 – present | |
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Interstate 75 (I-75) in the U.S. state of Georgia runs north–south along the U.S. Route 41 (US 41) corridor on the western side of the state, passing through the cities of Valdosta, Macon, and Atlanta. It is also designated—but not signed—as State Route 401 (SR 401). In downtown Atlanta, I-75 joins with I-85 as the Downtown Connector.
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Route description
I-75 is the longest Interstate Highway within Georgia. It enters near Valdosta, and it continues northward through the towns of Tifton and Cordele until it reaches the Macon area, where it intersects with I-16 eastbound towards Savannah. For northbound traffic wishing to avoid potential congestion in Macon, I-475 provides a relatively straight bypass west of that city and I-75's route.
After Macon it passes the small town of Forsyth. The freeway reaches no major junctions again until in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The first metropolitan freeway met is I-675, then followed by the Atlanta "Perimeter" bypass, I-285. It crosses inside the Perimeter and heads northeast several miles towards the Atlanta city center. I-75 then runs concurrently with I-85 due north over the Downtown Connector through the central business district of Atlanta. After the two Interstates split, I-75 makes a beeline northwest, crossing outside the I-285 Perimeter and heading towards the major suburban city of Marietta. This section of I-75 just north of I-285 has 15 through lanes, making it the widest roadway anywhere in the Interstate Highway System. North of Marietta, the final major junction in the Atlanta metropolitan area is the I-575 spur. I-75 then traverses the hilly northern Georgia terrain as it travels towards Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The 180-mile-long (290 km) section of I-75 from I-475 to I-24 in Chattanooga is one of the longest continuous six-lane freeways in the United States (some segments along this corridor have as many as 16 lanes).
Due to recent widening in south Georgia, the only four-lane section of I-75 in Georgia is bypassed by six-lane I-475; along this route there are at least six lanes from Florida's Turnpike in Wildwood, Florida to I-24 in Chattanooga.
1950s
The highway that would eventually become I-75 in Georgia was an unnamed expressway that was open in 1951 from the southern part of Atlanta to University Avenue. It was projected from University Avenue to Williams Street in downtown Atlanta. This expressway was open from Williams Street to what is now the northern end of the Downtown Connector. It was also proposed from the Downtown Connector to the northwest part of Atlanta. By late 1953, this expressway was signed as US 19/US 41 as far north as Lakewood Avenue. It was under construction from the Downtown Connector to Howell Mill Road. It was proposed from Howell Mill Road to the northwest part of Atlanta. By mid-1954, the expressway was signed as SR 295 from Lakewood Avenue to University Avenue. It was under construction from the Downtown Connector to US 41/SR 3E, just north of West Paces Ferry Road. By mid-1955, the highway was under construction from University Avenue to Glenn Street. It was open from Williams Street to US 41/SR 3E in the central part of Atlanta. By mid-1957, the highway was opened from University Avenue to Glenn Street. It was also open from Williams Street to US 41/SR 3E in the northwest part of Atlanta.
1960s
By the middle of 1960, a short segment southeast of Williams Street was open. By mid-1963, I-75 was signed. It was open from the Florida state line to US 41/SR 7 in Unadilla. It was under construction from Unadilla to just north of the Crawford–Bibb county line. It was open from SR 148 in Bolingbroke to US 23/SR 42 north-northwest of Forsyth. It was open from Glenn Street to Washington Street in downtown Atlanta. It was under construction from US 41/SR 3 in the northwest part of Atlanta to its northern interchange with I-285. It was also under construction from SR 53 in Calhoun to the Tennessee state line. Between 1963 and 1965, open from US 41/SR 7 in Unadilla to Hartley Bridge Road south-southwest of Macon. It was proposed from Hartley Bridge Road to I-16 in Macon. It was under construction from I-16 to its northern interchange with I-475 near Bolingbroke. It was open from Bolingbroke to near Forsyth. It was under construction from there to SR 155 south of McDonough. It was proposed from there to SR 54 in Morrow. It was under construction from Morrow to US 19/US 41 west of Morrow. It was proposed from that interchange to SR 331 in Forest Park. It was open from Forest Park to West Paces Ferry Road in northwest Atlanta. It was under construction from there to SR 120 in Marietta. It was proposed from Marietta to SR 140 in Adairsville. It was under construction from Adairsville to SR 53 in Calhoun. It was open from Calhoun to the Tennessee state line. In 1966, the highway was open from the Florida state line to its southern interchange with I-475 near Macon. It was open from I-16 to US 23/SR 42 near Forsyth. It was open from Forest Park to its northern interchange with I-285. In 1967, it was under construction from US 80/SR 74 to I-16 in Macon. It was under construction from near Forsyth to the US 19/US 41 interchange west of Morrow. It was open from Forest Park to SR 120 in Marietta. It was under construction from SR 120 to Allgood Road in Marietta. In 1968, the highway was open US 23/SR 42 near Forsyth to SR 20 in McDonough. It was under construction from McDonough to SR 54 in Morrow. It was open from Morrow to Allgood Road in Marietta. It was under construction from US 411/SR 61 near Cartersville to SR 140 in Adairsville. In 1969, the highway was under construction from its southern interchange with I-475 to I-16 in Macon. It was open from I-16 to Allgood Road in Marietta.
1970s
In 1971, it was open from the Florida state line to Allgood Road in Marietta. In 1973, it was under construction from Marietta to SR 92 in Acworth. In 1974, the highway was under construction from Emerson to US 411/SR 61 near Cartersville. In 1977, its entire length was open.
After completion
In 1998, the portion of I-75 that from the Chattahoochee River north to the Tennessee state line was named the Larry McDonald Memorial Highway. Larry McDonald, a conservative Democratic representative to Congress was aboard Korean Air Lines Flight 007 when it was shot down by the Soviets on September 1, 1983. He was the only sitting Congressman to be reportedly killed by the Soviets during the Cold War.
I-75 was also designated as the Horace E. Tate Freeway between I-85 to I-285 northwest of downtown Atlanta, in honor of Horace E. Tate, who was a State senator in 1974.
Until 2000, the state of Georgia used the sequential interchange numbering system on all of its Interstate Highways. The first exit on each highway would begin with the number "1" and increase numerically with each exit. In 2000, the Georgia Department of Transportation switched to a mileage-based exit system, in which the exit number corresponded to the nearest milepost.
In March 2007, I-75 in Atlanta (the HOV ramp serving Northside Drive) was the site of the Bluffton University bus crash.
In January 2017 the new Peach Pass express lane opened.
Related routes
There are three auxiliary Interstate Highways related to I-75 in Georgia and a fourth that was proposed. I-175 was a proposed spur from Albany northeast to Cordele. The road was built, but not as a freeway; it is SR 300, the Florida–Georgia Parkway. I-475 is a western bypass of Macon, shortening the trip for through I-75 traffic. I-575 is a spur from near Marietta north to Canton and Nelson, and I-675 is a cutoff from I-75 south of Atlanta north to Interstate 285 (Atlanta's perimeter) - east of I-75.
Additionally, there are two business routes of I-75 in the state. One Business Loop I-75 (BL I-75) runs through central Valdosta mostly concurrent with U.S. Route 221. The second BL I-75 runs through downtown Tifton mostly concurrent with U.S. Route 41. Their were former business routes in Adel–Sparks and Cordele.