State Road 21 Alternate opened to traffic following a ribbon cutting ceremony held on May 27, 2016.1 Paralleling SR 21 (Augusta Road), the 3.1 mile long limited access highway extends south from SR 17 along Jimmy DeLoach Parkway in Port Wentworth to SR 307 (Bourne Avenue) near Garden City. The connector provides a direct route from the Georgia Port Authority - Garden City Terminal to Interstate 95.
Construction of SR 21 Alternate is part of Georgia Port's Last Mile projects, which improve freight corridors between the three Garden City Terminal gates to the Savannah Interstate system. An additional Last Mile project is the Brampton Road Connector. Costing $25 million, the connector will link Brampton Road and SR 25, improving access from the Garden City Terminal container facility to Interstate 516.1.
Jimmy DeLoach Parkway was a part of Chatham County's developmental highway system originating in the 1980s.2 Named after former Chatham County Commissioner Jimmy DeLoach, the controlled access arterial winds 8.4 miles west from SR 21 (Augusta Road) at Port Wentworth to U.S. 80/SR 26 in Bloomingdale. A mileage transfer between Chatham County and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) in 2020 added Jimmy DeLoach Parkway to the state route system as a realignment of SR 17 east from I-16 at Bloomingdale to SR 21 ALT in Port Wentworth. GDOT in exchange turned over SR 204 north of SR 21 (DeRenne Avenue) to the 37th Street Connector in Savannah and all of SR 204SP between SR 204 (Abercorn Street) and Skidaway Island to local maintenance.
Construction underway in 1994-95 on both Jimmy DeLoach Parkway and Pooler Parkway further south opened up vast tracts of timberland to development.3 The final segment of Jimmy DeLoach Parkway built was the grade separation with SR 21 east of Crossroads Parkway. Costing $7.6 million, work ran from February 17, 2000 to May 21, 2002.2,4
Long range plans in 2000 outlined extending Jimmy DeLoach Parkway south from U.S. 80 to Interstate 16 at SR 17.4 The Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (CORE MPO) filed Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Urban Attributable Funds application in January 2017 for the project. Work on the two phase extension, including a grade separated intersection with U.S. 80/SR 26, commenced on September 21, 2017. Previously anticipated for completion on October 31, 2021 and then May 31, 2022, the new roadway fully opened to traffic in late August 2022. The extension was designated as SR 17CO in 2020.
Jimmy DeLoach Parkway Guides
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| The first confirming marker for SR 21 Alternate appears just beyond the at-grade intersection with SR 307 (Bourne Avenue). 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 Alternate (Jimmy DeLoach Connector) enters a diamond interchange with Grange Road a half mile north of SR 307 (Bourne Avenue). 12/13/17 |
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| Grange Avenue provides the first of two links from Jimmy DeLoach Connector west to parallel SR 21 (Augusta Road) and east to SR 25 (Coastal Highway). 12/13/17 |
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| Jimmy DeLoach Connector spans Crossgate Road on the ensuing stretch. Opening of the freeway spurred economic development, and a groundbreaking ceremony held on September 6, 2018 ushered in a $40 million investment on timberland adjacent to the connector here. The Crossgate Logistics facility will initially house 530,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. Three tracts totaling around 200 acres will ultimately accommodate around one million square feet of businesses.6 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 Alternate continues one mile north from Crossgate Road to Sonny Dixon Interchange, a short access road between Flonell Avenue and SR 21 (Augusta Road). 12/13/17 |
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| SR 30 (Bonnybridge Road) passes under SR 21 Alternate east from SR 21 (Augusta Road) to SR 25 (Coastal Highway) north of the Port Wentworth city center. 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 Alternate separates from Jimmy DeLoach Connector to follow Sonny Dixon Interchange west back to SR 21 (Augusta Road). Jimmy DeLoach Parkway (SR 17) extends west from the grade separation with Augusta Road to Interstate 95 and north Pooler. 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 trailblazer on the SR 21 Alternate off-ramp to Sonny Dixon Interchange west. The 0.3 mile access road to Augusta Road was completed in 2002 as part of the original Jimmy DeLoach Parkway. 12/13/17 |
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| Sonny Dixon Interchange connects industrial businesses along adjacent Flonnell Avenue with SR 21 Alternate south to SR 307 and Jimmy DeLoach Parkway west. 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 Alternate concludes at SR 21/30 (Augusta Road). SR 21/30 overlap 3.2 miles north from Bonnybridge Road to Piedmont Avenue within the city of Port Wentworth 12/13/17 |
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| End shield for SR 21 Alternate at SR 21 and SR 30 (Augusta Road). Augusta Road serves additional distribution centers and warehouse business north 2.1 miles to the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) with Interstate 95. 12/13/17 |
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| Southbound SR 21 Alternate begins at the Sonny Dixon Interchange, a four lane link from SR 21/30 (Augusta Road) east 0.29 miles to SR 17 (Jimmy DeLoach Parkway). 08/28/21 |
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| SR 21AL provides a bypass of SR 21 (Augusta Road) south along the Jimmy Deloach Connector to SR 307 (Bourne Avenue). 08/28/21 |
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| Jimmy Deloach Parkway (SR 17) commences northwest from SR 21AL at the Sonny Dixon Interchange. 08/28/21 |
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| A diamond interchange joins SR 21A (Jimmy Deloach Connector) with SR 17 (Jimmy Deloach Parkway). Jimmy Deloach Parkway winds 8.74 miles west to U.S. 80 at Bloomingdale. 08/28/21 |
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| Jimmy Deloach Connector, the freeway extension south from Sonny Dixon Interchange, opened to traffic on May 27, 2016. 08/28/21, 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 Alternate (Jimmy DeLoach Connector) proceeds south across SR 30 (Bonnybridge Road), which links SR 21 (Augusta Road) with SR 25 (Coastal Highway) to the Houlihan Bridge. 12/13/17 |
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| Jimmy DeLoach Connector runs between SR 21 (Augusta Road) and a Norfolk Southern Railroad line across Crossgate Road west of the Port Wentworth city center. 12/13/17 |
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| A diamond interchange connects SR 21 Alternate with Grange Road in a half mile. 12/13/17 |
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| Grange Road runs through an industrial areas between SR 21 (Augusta Road) and SR 25 (Coastal Highway) south of the Port Wentworth residential street grid. 12/13/17 |
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| Jimmy DeLoach Connector extends a half mile south from the Grange Road entrance ramp to the freeway end at SR 307 (Bourne Avenue). 12/13/17 |
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| The lone SR 21 Alternate confirming marker along Jimmy DeLoach Connector southbound. 12/13/17 |
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| Jimmy DeLoach Connector concludes at an at-grade intersection with SR 307 (Bourne Avenue). 12/13/17 |
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| SR 21 ALT combines with SR 307 (Bourne Avenue) west for the return to SR 21 (Augusta Road). 12/13/17 |
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| SR 307 (Bourne Avenue) leads east to the Port of Savannah Garden City terminal at SR 25 (Coastal Highway). Heading south, SR 307 runs along the east side of Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) on Dean Forest Road. 12/13/17 |
Sources:
- "Gov. Deal cuts ribbon to open Jimmy DeLoach Connector." Savannah Morning News (GA), May 27, 2016.
- "Parkway Forges Link between Port, West Chatham - Tractor-Trailers find Easier Access to Main Thoroughfares by Traveling on the Deloach Parkway." Savannah Morning News (GA), May 22, 2002.
- "The New Chatham." Savannah Morning News (GA), July 31, 2005.
- "Work Officially Begins on West Chatham Highway Expansion." Savannah Morning News (GA), February 18, 2000.
- "Pooler Parkway / After a Year-Long Delay, Parkway to Open Today." Savannah Morning News (GA), April 20, 2004.
- "Port Wentworth breaks ground for Dynacraft HQ, warehouse." Savannah Morning News (GA), September 6, 2018.
Connect with:
Interstate 16
Interstate 95
U.S. 80
State Route 17
State Route 17 Connector - Bloomingdale
State Route 21
State Route 307
Page Updated 11-28-2022.
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