
Interstate 20 in Georgia
I-20 | |||
Begin | Tallapoosa | ||
End | Augusta | ||
Length | 202 mi | ||
Length | 323 km | ||
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Interstate 20 or I -20 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway forms an east-west route in the northern half of the state, passing through the capital Atlanta. I-20 runs from the Alabama border at Tallapoosa to the South Carolina border at Augusta. The highway mainly leads through forest areas. Interstate 20 is 223 miles long.
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Travel directions
I-20 in Atlanta.
Interstate 20 in Alabama enters the state of Georgia from Birmingham near Tallapoosa. The highway has 2×2 lanes here and leads through a densely populated region that is also somewhat hilly. I-20 here opens up a rural area that gradually transitions into the metropolitan area of Atlanta. I-20 passes regional places such as Bremen and Douglasville. The first suburb along I-20 is Villa Rica, from here I-20 also has 2×3 lanes. However, it will then take another 40 kilometers before you reach the Atlanta ring road. The last section up to Interstate 285 has 2×4 lanes.
I-285 forms the Atlanta beltway. I-20 then continues along the south side of Downtown Atlanta. This route usually has 2×4 lanes. Near the center is an interchange with Interstate 75 and Interstate 85, which together form the Downtown Connector. I-20 has 2×5 lanes to the east of this and runs through the eastern suburbs and suburbs. At the Panthersville suburb, one crosses I-285 for the second time.
I-20 has 2×3 lanes east of Atlanta to Covington, about 25 miles east of I-285. This route leads through a number of distant suburbs such as Lithonia and Conyers. East of Covington, I-20 is rural in character and passes through a relatively densely wooded area. A route of approximately 150 kilometers follows until you reach the city of Augusta. The passage through Augusta briefly has 2×3 to 2×4 lanes around the interchange with Interstate 520, but narrows again to 2×2 lanes at the bridge over the Savannah River, which forms the border with South Carolina. Interstate 20 in South Carolina then continues to Columbia.
Way number
The highway is signposted as I-20. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has also assigned administrative number SR-402 to the route. This is not signposted and is usually only used in technical documents.
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History
History
Before the construction of I-20, there were two possible routes for traffic between Atlanta and Augusta, US 78, which follows a more northerly route through Athens, and US 278, which I-20 later built parallel to. In western Georgia, I-20 was built parallel to US 78. Due to Atlanta ‘s relatively late growth into a major city, US 78 and US 278 were little upgraded prior to the construction of I-20. They passed through every village and only in the immediate vicinity of Atlanta were 2×2 lanes available early.
Construction history
I-20 was constructed during the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Interstate Highways plan. At that time, Atlanta was still a relatively small city, but it started to grow strongly. Many places along I-20 were originally independent places well outside of Atlanta, but have later become part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, especially places like Douglasville, Conyers, and Covington.
Until 2000, Georgia used sequential exit numbering on all Interstate Highways. After 2000, Georgia switched to distance exit numbering and this has also been implemented on I-20. The last exit in Georgia is exit 200.
Western Georgia
The first section of I-20 west of Atlanta opened in 1965, from Douglasville to just over the Chattahoochee River. After that, construction was halted for a while, the section between the Alabama and Douglasville border is the last stretch of I-20 open in Georgia. Interstate 20 was completed in 1979.
Van | Unpleasant | Length | Opening |
Exit 34 | Exit 47 | 23 km | ~1965 |
Exit 24 | Exit 34 | 16 km | 1976 |
Exit 0 | Exit 24 | 39 km | 1979 |
Atlanta
The route through Atlanta has been opened in quick succession. The first section opened in 1963, a fairly long stretch from the center to the east, all the way to Conyers. This was also the first section of Interstate 20 in the state of Georgia. The Downtown Atlanta bypass opened in 1965, and a year later it was connected to the newly opened section west of Atlanta. This made 1966 an important year, because at that time the Downtown Connector was also opened by Atlanta, which significantly relieved the city center.
Van | Unpleasant | Length | Opening |
Exit 58 | Exit 80 | 35 km | 1963 |
Exit 55 | Exit 58 | 5 km | ~1965 |
Exit 47 | Exit 55 | 13 km | 1966 |
Eastern Georgia
After opening the first section east of Atlanta to Conyers in 1963, construction continued in eastern Georgia in subsequent years. In 1967, the Augusta bypass opened to traffic, including the bridge over the Savannah River, which forms the border with South Carolina. In 1968 and 1969, the two parts were worked together, but it wasn’t until 1974 that the last link between Greensboro and Thomson was opened, which would continue through I-20 east of Atlanta.
Van | Unpleasant | Length | Opening |
Exit 194 | Exit 200 | 10 km | 03-04-1967 |
Exit 183 | Exit 194 | 18 km | 1968 |
Exit 80 | Exit 114 | 55 km | 1969 |
Exit 172 | Exit 183 | 18 km | 1969 |
Exit 114 | Exit 130 | 26 km | 1972 |
Exit 130 | Exit 172 | 68 km | 1973 |
Traffic intensities
40,000 vehicles cross the Alabama border every day, and in the suburban Atlanta area this number has already risen to 143,000 vehicles. Near the center this rises to 183,000 vehicles, and east of the center even 204,000 vehicles per day. There are 187,000 vehicles on the east side of I-285, which then slowly decreases. Halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, only 23,000 vehicles a day. In Augusta, the road is not very busy with 62,000 vehicles at its busiest point.
Lane Configuration
Van | Unpleasant | Lanes |
Exit 0 | Exit 24 | 2×2 |
Exit 24 | Exit 34 | 2×3 |
Exit 34 | Exit 37 | 2×4 |
Exit 37 | Exit 44 | 2×3 |
Exit 44 | Exit 55 | 2×4 |
Exit 55 | Exit 67 (I-285) | 2×5 |
Exit 67 (I-285) | Exit 90 | 2×3 |
Exit 90 | Exit 194 | 2×2 |
Exit 194 | Exit 196 (I-520) | 2×3 |
Exit 196 (I-520) | Exit 201 | 2×2 |