Georgia

[Plutonic Panda]

Damn, by the time SC widens their section to 3 lanes Georgia and NC will have theirs widened to 4.

[NJRoadfan]

Having just drove that portion of I-95, I can attest that its pretty busy. Its too bad that SC doesn't think ahead like NC and go full 8 lanes on the southern 8 miles of I-95 to match.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Some people be like: "GA 316 needs to be an interstate!"
Me: It's fine to upgrade a state route into a freeway. It's nice to have an interstate shield on it, BUT not everything that IS a freeway SHOULD be designated into an interstate (I'm looking at you, North Carolina)!

[The Ghostbuster]

GA 316 will have to become completely-freeway (which I believe will happen eventually), to become an Interstate. I highly doubt 316 will become part of the Interstate Highway System.

[architect77]

Some people be like: "GA 316 needs to be an interstate!"
Me: It's fine to upgrade a state route into a freeway. It's nice to have an interstate shield on it, BUT not everything that IS a freeway SHOULD be designated into an interstate (I'm looking at you, North Carolina)!

I agree and am a native of NC.

For visitors traveling in an unfamiliar area, there is a certain comforting bond that's made with a red white and blue interstate shield. It becomes your friend, your guide, your reassuring beacon to help you navigate the places unknown.

However, when every overhead has multiple interstate shields with variations of major routes and you encounter 15 different shields within a region 30 miles across, they confuse, mislead, and no longer give visitors any sense of comfort or guidance.

[RoadWarrior56]

I live in Metro Atlanta and I do work with GDOT with a consulting firm.  I am not aware of any plans to convert SR 316 to an Interstate.  I did watch the MileageMike YouTube video, and he never said there were any plans for such a conversion in the route number. I think he added the hypothetical I-785 shield to reinforce the point that this roadway is gradually being converted to a freeway, and also maybe to attract a few more clicks.  Besides, even though many intersections have already been converted to interchanges, they still have a long way to go to finish.  Besides, even as a freeway, I don't think SR 316 will ever be Interstate ready, at least not without a bunch of Design Exceptions.

[ElishaGOtis]

I live in Metro Atlanta and I do work with GDOT with a consulting firm.  I am not aware of any plans to convert SR 316 to an Interstate.  I did watch the MileageMike YouTube video, and he never said there were any plans for such a conversion in the route number. I think he added the hypothetical I-785 shield to reinforce the point that this roadway is gradually being converted to a freeway, and also maybe to attract a few more clicks.  Besides, even though many intersections have already been converted to interchanges, they still have a long way to go to finish.  Besides, even as a freeway, I don't think SR 316 will ever be Interstate ready, at least not without a bunch of Design Exceptions.

Agreed, the 785 thing seems to be hypothetical (although not impossible per se). The inside shoulders, distances between exits, clear zones, and design speeds (iirc 55?) are likely the biggest things in the way that'd require design exceptions.

[Great Lakes Roads]

An update on the I-75 Commercial Vehicle Lanes (CVL) project.

[Tomahawkin]

Is anyone Teased about the Truck Lanes project about to start from Macon to Atlanta? IMO, that money could have been allocated on a US 27 Western Bypass (From Tennessee to IH 85 near the IH 185 Interchange) of Atlanta and Chatt-Lanta (Its called that here in Atlanta because of the IH 75 and 24 truck traffic)

[Mapmikey]

I live in Metro Atlanta and I do work with GDOT with a consulting firm.  I am not aware of any plans to convert SR 316 to an Interstate.  I did watch the MileageMike YouTube video, and he never said there were any plans for such a conversion in the route number. I think he added the hypothetical I-785 shield to reinforce the point that this roadway is gradually being converted to a freeway, and also maybe to attract a few more clicks.  Besides, even though many intersections have already been converted to interchanges, they still have a long way to go to finish.  Besides, even as a freeway, I don't think SR 316 will ever be Interstate ready, at least not without a bunch of Design Exceptions.

Georgia requested GA 316 become an interstate out to GA 120 and a future interstate further to GA 8 in 1984.  FHWA turned this down.  They also rejected GA 400 from I-285 to GA 306.

This is in the GA I-985 application documents from 1984 in the AASHTO database - https://grmservices.grmims.com/vsearch/portal/public/na4/aashto/default

[architect77]

I live in Metro Atlanta and I do work with GDOT with a consulting firm.  I am not aware of any plans to convert SR 316 to an Interstate.  I did watch the MileageMike YouTube video, and he never said there were any plans for such a conversion in the route number. I think he added the hypothetical I-785 shield to reinforce the point that this roadway is gradually being converted to a freeway, and also maybe to attract a few more clicks.  Besides, even though many intersections have already been converted to interchanges, they still have a long way to go to finish.  Besides, even as a freeway, I don't think SR 316 will ever be Interstate ready, at least not without a bunch of Design Exceptions.

Georgia requested GA 316 become an interstate out to GA 120 and a future interstate further to GA 8 in 1984.  FHWA turned this down.  They also rejected GA 400 from I-285 to GA 306.

This is in the GA I-985 application documents from 1984 in the AASHTO database - https://grmservices.grmims.com/vsearch/portal/public/na4/aashto/default

Do you really think that decisions made 42 years ago back when the entire state of GA probably has only 6-7 million citizens across the entire state, and metro Atlanta had less than 2.5 million people, would still be upheld or relevant today? Cars were 20 times more polluting back then than today for one thing.

I'm not advocating for any new interstate designations, but that argument about interstate designations in NC from 40 years ago is also used, and I would think that decisions from back then have very little to do with conditions today.

But I don't keep up with that federal agency either so I don't know much about them.

[Great Lakes Roads]

The ground has been broken on Georgia's largest project- SR 400 express lanes!

[Tom958]

GDOT is proposing a roundabout at US 19 and GA 93 in Pelham. US 19 is a divided four-lane there, but the roundabout is to be only one lane. US 19 carries a little over 7000 vpd north of the intersection and a little over 6000 to the south, while GA 93 carries over 3000 to the west but fewer than 1000 to the east. GDOT project page  Layout

[afguy]

Georgia Department of Transportation awards contract for I-16 expansion

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced the bid for the state's largest infrastructure project in state history.

Matthews-McLendon Joint Venture/Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering, LLC was selected for the $468.35 million I-16 widening project.

"Matthews-McClendon/ICE was announced as the apparent successful proposer with the highest buildable segment achieved of 17.77 miles reached," reads a press release from GDOT. "Georgia DOT used a best value (variable scope) procurement method for the Design-Build project, which evaluated both a responsive technical proposal and price proposal. The Matthews-McClendon/ICE team will construct the first segment of the project from the I-16/I-95 interchange to mile marker 139.65, in Bryan County."

The project spans Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham counties and will widen Interstate 16 from two lanes to three in both directions. Plans also call for pavement improvements, safety enhancements and the replacement of six bridges.

https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2026/07/06/i-16-widening-to-span-four-counties-in-the-southeast-georgia/90793385007/

[Georgia]

about the only stretch of 16 that would need widening.
no AADT elsewhere would probably justify it besides the portions through Macon/Bibb.