Interstate 20 East - Thomson to Augusta

Costing $11 million, a diamond interchange (Exit 169) was constructed along I-20 with Three Points Road by Summer 2013.¹ The exchange was designed to improve access to Thompson from the northwest while also allowing trucks to bypass Downtown. Three Points Road stems north from parallel SR 233 at West Bypass NW to Stagecoach Road east of Wrightsboro.

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Approaching the diamond interchange (Exit 172) with SR 17 (Washington Road) on I-20 east at the Wrightsboro Road overpass. Exit 172 connected with U.S. 78 previously, but the completion of the Thomson Bypass on October 27, 2010 shifted U.S. 78/SR 10 to a new alignment east of Washington Road.

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SR 17 meets the north end of the Thomson Bypass three quarters of a mile from Exit 172. U.S. 78 and SR 17 combine there for 20 miles northwest to Washington. Southward SR 17 provides a direct route to Downtown while U.S. 78/SR 10 stay east of the city. The original Harrison Road Bypass alignment of U.S. 78 is unnumbered.

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Interstate 20 passes under the Thompson Bypass and continues east from Little Germany Creek by this shield assembly. Scuffle Road spans the freeway in the distance.

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Fort Gordon, an 88.29 square mile military reservation that employed about 27,000 in 2010², lies southwest of Augusta and represents the next destination served by Interstate 20 east.

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SR 150 (Cobbham Road) meets Interstate 20 at a diamond interchange (Exit 175) near Stones Crossroads in rural McDuffie County.

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Exit 175 leaves Interstate 20 east for Cobbham Road. SR 150 begins in Thomson at SR 17 (Main Street) and leads northeast 16 miles to Phinzy and 19 miles to become the counterpart of U.S. 221 at Pollards Corner.

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Interstate 20 undulates over slow rolling hills eastward after the on-ramp from SR 150.

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Rising from a crossing of Greenbrier Creek, Interstate 20 reaches the White Oak Camp Road over crossing and Columbia County line. White Oak Camp Road directly overlays the county border from SR 223 north to Stagecoach Road.

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The final rest area within the Peach State on Interstate 20 east lies near Pumpkin Center.

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U.S. 221 enters Columbia County from Parksville, South Carolina across J. Strom Thurmond Dam, 16 miles to the northeast. U.S. 221 leads south from Pollards Corner with SR 47 to Appling and the diamond interchange at Exit 183.

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Continuing south from Exit 183, U.S. 221 (Appling Harlem Highway) reaches the city of Harlem and U.S. 78 in five miles. U.S. 221 is a 734 mile long route stretching across five states between Perry, Florida and Lynchburg, Virginia.

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Traveling in nearly a straight line, Interstate 20 heads toward Grovetown parallel to SR 223 (Wrightsboro Road).

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Weigh stations line both sides of Interstate 20 on a ridge just west of Uchee Creek at milepost 187.

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Chamblin Road spans I-20 one mile from the diamond interchange (Exit 190) with SR 388 (Horizon South Parkway / Lewiston Road). SR 388 follows Horizon South Parkway 1.91 miles to Wrightsboro Road and Katherine Street in Grovetown. SR 388 concludes 0.84 miles west from there at SR 223 (Robinson Avenue).

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Exit 190 leaves I-20 east to SR 388 (Horizon South Parkway / Lewiston Road). SR 388 follows Lewiston Road north of the freeway 1.74 miles to SR 232 (Columbia Road) and Hereford Farm Road at Lewiston.

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Interstate 20 throughout eastern Georgia is the Carl Sanders Highway.

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The final exit along Interstate 20 eastbound in Columbia County serves SR 383 (Belair Road) and Jimmie Dyess Parkway to Belair. Belair Road loops northward from I-20 to Evans and SR 28 (Furys Ferry Road) at Snead.

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Jimmie Dyess Parkway and SR 383 conclude to the south at Gate 1 to Fort Gordon. 7.44 miles long, SR 383 runs north to SR 104 at Evans.

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Eastbound at Exit 194 to SR 383 (Belair Road). A commercialized frontage road extends from Belair Road to Wheeler Road alongside the south side of I-20.

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A cloverstack interchange joins I-20 with I-520/SR 232 at Exit 196. The exchange was upgraded between 2007 and a ribbon cutting ceremony held on November 12, 2009 as part of a nearly $200 million project.³ Work widened I-20 from Wheeler to Belair Roads, constructed flyover ramps from I-20 west to I-520 east and I-520 west to I-20 west, and added a c/d roadway along I-20 east.

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The ensuing exit along Interstate 20 east is for Wheeler Road. Wheeler Road comprises a busy arterial east from Exit 195 to Doctors Hospital of Augusta and the Augusta Exchange retail area by I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway).

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The diamond interchange at Wheeler Road opened to traffic on March 24, 1998 after 18 months of construction. $12.7 million in road work coincided with the expansion of Wheeler Road from Flowing Wells Road just north of I-20, to Augusta West Parkway west of I-520.⁴

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Interstate 20 formally enters both the city of Augusta and Richmond County within the Wheeler Road interchange. The city and county government consolidated in 1995 as Augusta-Richmond County.⁴

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Interstate 520 encircles the city of Augusta along a beltway east to North Augusta, South Carolina. The 15.40 mile long loop in Georgia serves Fort Gordon to the west and Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) to the south.

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I-20 east briefly expands to eight lanes in advance of the c/d roadway for I-520 and SR 232. Bobby Jones Expressway extends a 0.59 miles north of I-20 to a folded diamond interchange built with Pleasant Home Road as part of the I-20/520 interchange project.

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A confirming marker for Interstate 20 east precedes Exits 196A/B for I-520 east and SR 232 west.

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The c/d roadway (Exit 196) separates for Bobby Jones Expressway. The initial extension of I-520 ran 1.7 miles east from SR 28 (Sand Bar Ferry Road) to U.S. 1-78-278 (Jefferson Davis Highway) in North Augusta, SC on June 22, 2004. I-520 along Palmetto Parkway was completed north from U.S. 1-78-278 back to I-20 on December 16, 2009.

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Control points for I-520 south and SR 232 north appear at the c/d roadway separation. Daniel Field (DNL) is an airport operated by the city east of I-520 along Wrightsboro Road. Martinez is a Columbia County suburb along SR 104 (Washington Road), east of SR 232.

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Exit 196B loops onto SR 232 (Bobby Jones Expressway) north to Lamkin and Martinez. SR 232 travels 14.51 miles overall from I-520 on a westward course to U.S. 221 near the Columbia County seat of Appling.

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Adjacent to I-520, a half diamond interchange links Walton Way Extension with Interstate 20 east ahead of this sign for the Carl Sanders Highway.

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Columbia debuts on Interstate 20 distance signs 73 miles to the west. North Augusta, South Carolina is six miles away.

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The penultimate interchange on Interstate 20 east within the Peach State is Exit 199 for SR 28 (Washington Road), Martinez and north Augusta. This section of I-20 was widened in the late 2000s.

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SR 28 follows Washington Road southward from Exit 199 to the John C. Calhoun Expressway and Greene Street in Downtown Augusta. Part of a much longer multi state highway with NC 28 and S.C. 28, there are two portions of SR 28 in Georgia.

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North from Exit 199, SR 28 becomes S.C. 28 upon crossing the Savannah River into Sumter National Forest. SR 104 overtakes Washington Road from River Watch Parkway in Martinez to the west. Eastward the parkway carries SR 104 to Exit 200.

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A folded diamond interchange joins I-20 with SR 104 (River Watch Parkway) at Exit 200. River Watch Parkway straddles the Savannah River southeastward from I-20 into Downtown Augusta. SR 104 concludes along the one way couplet of Jones and Reynold Streets at U.S. 25/SR 4 (13th Street).

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The exchange with River Watch Parkway at Exit 200 opened in 1993.⁵ SR 104 (River Watch Parkway) stretches 22.29 miles northwest from Augusta to Martinez, Evans, Lamkin and Pollards Corner.

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$89.91 million in road work underway from January 2019 to January 2022 expands I-20 to six overall lanes and replaces bridges spanning both the Augusta Canal and the Savannah River.⁶ A tourist information center follows the state line.

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I-20 first spans the Augusta Canal, a waterway built in 1845 as a source of power, water and transportation. Remaining in operation, the canal was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978.⁷

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Despite being four miles east of the previous distance sign, the length to North Augusta only decreased by one mile. Columbia is nearly an hour away.

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Spanning the Savannah River, I-20 leaves the Peach State for the Palmetto State. The Savannah is a 301 mile long waterway that flows southeast from Lake Hartwell to the Atlantic Ocean near Tybee Island. Three major dams upriver from Augusta generate hydroelectricity.⁸

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The midpoint of the Savannah River marks the boundary between Georgia and Aiken County, South Carolina.

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