Georgia

[roadman65]

Does anyone know why the GA 372 expressway at its north end has a half diamond interchange at where it transitions from freeway to local two lane road?  Obviously it was intended to be a freeway further south, but with I-575 nearby it would seem redundant to have a second bypass of Ball Ground, so being it runs more east, I will say that there was or still is plans for an E-W freeway from Nelson to Coal Mountain.

I heard on Freeway Jim that GA 400 was to continue west of Coal Mountain by turning 90 degrees.  That would make sense, but the proposal of changing orientation of GA 400 would have no merit.  Does anyone know that nature of that transition on GA 372?

[Henry]

I mean, 540 is the Fall Line "Freeway", you think they'd sign it along interstates 

To be fair, though, it's just a placeholder for the eventual route of I-14. But yeah, the "Freeway" part is misleading, since it is not a freeway in the true sense. Can't even call it a substandard one, because it has no interchanges, other than the parts it shares with I-16 and I-75.

[US 89]

Does anyone know why the GA 372 expressway at its north end has a half diamond interchange at where it transitions from freeway to local two lane road?  Obviously it was intended to be a freeway further south, but with I-575 nearby it would seem redundant to have a second bypass of Ball Ground, so being it runs more east, I will say that there was or still is plans for an E-W freeway from Nelson to Coal Mountain.

I heard on Freeway Jim that GA 400 was to continue west of Coal Mountain by turning 90 degrees.  That would make sense, but the proposal of changing orientation of GA 400 would have no merit.  Does anyone know that nature of that transition on GA 372?

I don't know about GA 400 or 372 specifically, but I do know there was supposed to be a highway built between Ball Ground and the GA 400/141 interchange that would have been part of ADHS Corridor A. This seems unlikely to ever be built, so corridor A will probably always be discontinuous - one segment on GA 400/US 19 from I-285 north to GA 141, and then another along that northernmost bit of 372 and then on up 515 into North Carolina. Most of the remainder of 400 is Corridor A-1.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/5URvK3VjWEwRufXh6
Found this in GSV to be of interest.  The driveway here, if you look close enough, can make out where the original US 17 ALT veered away from Boundary Street to default into the original Talmadge Bridge. 

Historic Aerials show how the road used to swerve right before Oglethorpe into the former bridge. Oglethorpe ended at the current Boundary intersection ( as now west of Boundary is the ramps to the current Eugene Talmadge Bridge) and right at the swerve was the last eatery in Georgia before the bridge carried US 17 ALT into SC. The welcome Center to the right was the defunct Howard Johnson that died in the 1980's, but was right at the bridge entrance during its day.

[Alex]

I split off the bulk of the posts related to Atlanta area roads and road topics into a new "Atlanta" thread.

The Atlanta posts, especially those related to the I-285/SR 400 construction project, drown out the general posts covering Georgia roads across the state.
Please shift to making general Atlanta based posts there, and continue making general Georgia posts here.

[Tom958]

I split off the bulk of the posts related to Atlanta area roads and road topics into a new "Atlanta" thread.

The Atlanta posts, especially those related to the I-285/SR 400 construction project, drown out the general posts covering Georgia roads across the state.
Please shift to making general Atlanta based posts there, and continue making general Georgia posts here.

Thanks!

[D-Dey65]

US 17 used to have a nice smooth curve near the intersection(s) of US 82 and GA 303;
https://historicaerials.com/?layer=map&zoom=15&lat=31.136902&lon=-81.574217

It kind of sucks that they had to get rid of it.


Also there doesn't seem to be any "End US 82" signs at US 17 and I-95.

[bdmoss88]

Was travelling US411 North through Cartersville on the part that is also US41 South yesterday. How are we supposed to deduce from these signs that US411 actually takes this right exit that is coming up and loops down to the street below. We slogged along until the US41 interchange with Red Top Mountain Rd before noticing a US41 sign with none of the others and realized we had missed the turn someplace. 


https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2012638,-84.8010206,3a,75y,91.99h,107.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shtP6OEJSqcwS0xzBx372ew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Ga293]

GDOT signage is often inconsistent, erroneous, and insufficient, where it exists. In better states, such information would be displayed with an overhead sign in advance of the exit. Here, you're lucky if you get a small sign at the gore point.

In your case, this interchange was recently rebuilt, with the loop ramp added a couple years ago. Before then, US 411 exited on that ramp just prior to that sign, thus the signs you see plonked down to discourage people from taking that exit. The fact that no signage exists for the new, actual exit is just GDOT incompetence at usual.

[adventurernumber1]

Was travelling US411 North through Cartersville on the part that is also US41 South yesterday. How are we supposed to deduce from these signs that US411 actually takes this right exit that is coming up and loops down to the street below. We slogged along until the US41 interchange with Red Top Mountain Rd before noticing a US41 sign with none of the others and realized we had missed the turn someplace. 


https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2012638,-84.8010206,3a,75y,91.99h,107.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shtP6OEJSqcwS0xzBx372ew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

GDOT signage is often inconsistent, erroneous, and insufficient, where it exists. In better states, such information would be displayed with an overhead sign in advance of the exit. Here, you're lucky if you get a small sign at the gore point.

In your case, this interchange was recently rebuilt, with the loop ramp added a couple years ago. Before then, US 411 exited on that ramp just prior to that sign, thus the signs you see plonked down to discourage people from taking that exit. The fact that no signage exists for the new, actual exit is just GDOT incompetence at usual.

That signage is indeed poorly executed, and I'm surprised there's not at least a BGS of some kind. The other US 41/US 411 interchange a few miles west of this at least has this. Even if US 411 is eventually going to be re-routed onto that planned new bypass a little north and west of here, they could at least sign adequately while US 411 is still on this alignment (although that should be done regardless).

As a side note, the US 41 bridges across the interchange before the reconstruction were among the last surviving multilane road or highway bridges in this region (northwest Georgia) with that older style of bridge railings that seemed to be popular circa the 1950s era, before the bridges were replaced. Examples of still-surviving multilane road bridges with that style of railing in the region include three bridges on US 27 near downtown Rome. I mention multi-lane roads or highways, because there's a lot less of them with those bridges left compared to smaller or less-traveled roads.

[Jaxrunner]

The Bridge in Rome GA on US 27 is planned to be replaced soon. It is going to make traffic even worse in Rome while the contruction is ongoing. It is a huge the southeastern portion of the Rome Bypass got delayed. US 27 and SR 20 have too much traffic and the roads are narrow for the traffic that goes through there now.

[Gnutella]

Was travelling US411 North through Cartersville on the part that is also US41 South yesterday. How are we supposed to deduce from these signs that US411 actually takes this right exit that is coming up and loops down to the street below. We slogged along until the US41 interchange with Red Top Mountain Rd before noticing a US41 sign with none of the others and realized we had missed the turn someplace. 


https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2012638,-84.8010206,3a,75y,91.99h,107.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shtP6OEJSqcwS0xzBx372ew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Generally speaking, GDOT does a piss-poor job of signing junctions and direction changes on secondary roads.

[Tom958]

The Bridge in Rome GA on US 27 is planned to be replaced soon. It is going to make traffic even worse in Rome while the construction is ongoing. It is huge the southeastern portion of the Rome Bypass got delayed. US 27 and SR 20 have too much traffic and the roads are narrow for the traffic that goes through there now.

If the freeway portion of US 411 had been extended another two miles to the eastern bypass and a proper free-flowing interchange built there, there'd be no need for the southeastern portion of the bypass. I'd still rather see that stretch upgraded than a new terrain highway through that area.

[Tom958]

Was travelling US411 North through Cartersville on the part that is also US41 South yesterday. How are we supposed to deduce from these signs that US411 actually takes this right exit that is coming up and loops down to the street below. We slogged along until the US41 interchange with Red Top Mountain Rd before noticing a US41 sign with none of the others and realized we had missed the turn someplace. 


https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2012638,-84.8010206,3a,75y,91.99h,107.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shtP6OEJSqcwS0xzBx372ew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This really is ridiculous. I'm contacting GDOT about it. In fairness, though, if you Google Rome to Canton, the route goes through the Walmart-Lowe's parking lot, nor along that rather expensive loop ramp.   

[bdmoss88]

Was travelling US411 North through Cartersville on the part that is also US41 South yesterday. How are we supposed to deduce from these signs that US411 actually takes this right exit that is coming up and loops down to the street below. We slogged along until the US41 interchange with Red Top Mountain Rd before noticing a US41 sign with none of the others and realized we had missed the turn someplace. 


https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2012638,-84.8010206,3a,75y,91.99h,107.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shtP6OEJSqcwS0xzBx372ew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This really is ridiculous. I'm contacting GDOT about it. In fairness, though, if you Google Rome to Canton, the route goes through the Walmart-Lowe's parking lot, nor along that rather expensive loop ramp.   

There were several mistakes on this trip of my own doing. We were in Tuscaloosa and heading to Maryville, TN. Google maps was showing Chattanooga as a parking lot so we decided to ditch the Interstate altogether and take 411 from Gadsden to Maryville. If I had actually thought about what I was doing I would've taken GA53 from Rome to Fairmount to catch 411 again there.
Noticed just now that google maps doesn't show GA53 on the Calhoun southern bypass yet.

[Tom958]

To my delight, a helpful and knowledgeable fellow with GDOT District 1 contacted me yesterday re the report I'd made. He said that the immediate problem would be corrected promptly and that they were coming up with a scheme for better advance signage there as well. He even promised to help me with two other items on my agenda. 

Was travelling US411 North through Cartersville on the part that is also US41 South yesterday. How are we supposed to deduce from these signs that US411 actually takes this right exit that is coming up and loops down to the street below. We slogged along until the US41 interchange with Red Top Mountain Rd before noticing a US41 sign with none of the others and realized we had missed the turn someplace. 


https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2012638,-84.8010206,3a,75y,91.99h,107.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shtP6OEJSqcwS0xzBx372ew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This really is ridiculous. I'm contacting GDOT about it. In fairness, though, if you Google Rome to Canton, the route goes through the Walmart-Lowe's parking lot, nor along that rather expensive loop ramp. 

[Tomahawkin]

Do you ever think that Rome could have a Freeway  through there ALA IH 565 in Birmingham. That was a well planned interstate in Huntsville IMO. And I'm in the opinion that Rome is a suburb of Atlanta. I know people who work in Atlanta who drive from The Cartersville/Rome area because the houses are cheaper...

[US 89]

Maybe some spot upgrades on US 411, or possibly a better connection to I-75 in Cartersville (don't hold your breath on that though). But I don't see a full freeway from 75 to Rome ever happening. Their focus seems more on four-laning the remaining GRIP corridors at the moment, which seems like a much better use of the $ they have.

[Tom958]

Do you ever think that Rome could have a Freeway  through there ALA IH 565 in Birmingham. That was a well planned interstate in Huntsville IMO. And I'm in the opinion that Rome is a suburb of Atlanta. I know people who work in Atlanta who drive from The Cartersville/Rome area because the houses are cheaper...

There's this. It's far from a freeway, though. https://www.rometocartersville.com/about-the-project.html

The mountain ridges along the US 11-I-59 axis in Alabama present a formidable barrier to a direct good-quality highway between Atlanta and Huntsville via anywhere near Rome. It'd require at least one major tunnel and/or cuts and fills on a scale unimaginable outside of remotest Appalachia.

[Tom958]

Not exactly news, but the 6.6-mile closing link of four-lane US 129 between Talmo and Gainesville was opened a few months ago.

[Tomahawkin]

For the love of God, can GDOT start plans to widen IH 75 to 8 lanes from Kennesaw up to Chattanooga? My goodness it was irritating to drive through there on a Sunday night because of all the Truck Traffic. The Chattanooga area has moved up to places I avoid to drive through because of the Traffic!

[adventurernumber1]

For the love of God, can GDOT start plans to widen IH 75 to 8 lanes from Kennesaw up to Chattanooga? My goodness it was irritating to drive through there on a Sunday night because of all the Truck Traffic. The Chattanooga area has moved up to places I avoid to drive through because of the Traffic!

IIRC, I have seen it is in GDOT's long-term plans (maybe the next 10-30 years) to widen that section of I-75 to eight lanes. Hopefully it'll be more like 10 years than 30 years (or even sooner), because the area only continues to grow (and ditto for long-distance traffic on the road), and the traffic can be cumbersome at times.

[Tomahawkin]

I hope this comes to fruition sooner rather than later. Especially with Amazon expanding, and the port of Savannah becoming one of the largest on the East coast...

[Tom958]

I hope this comes to fruition sooner rather than later. Especially with Amazon expanding, and the port of Savannah becoming one of the largest on the East coast...

I wouldn't count on it. South of Atlanta, all they want to do is that goofball one-way truck roadway.

Maybe if and when the pavement requires reconstruction, but on I-20 west of Atlanta, they didn't add lanes even then.

[Tomahawkin]

What a Shocker! Both interstate 20 and 75 are in the top 5 as far as most dangerous interstates to drive in the Country. Not surprised at IH 20 Being on there considering all the Freeway shootings that happen on 20 in the Atlanta area. Add to that there is little/no overhead lighting on the interstate outside both sides of 285 throughout the state...