Georgia State Route 120 Loop
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| State Route 120 Loop |
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| Length: | 7.6 mi[1] (12.2 km) | |||||||||||
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| Beltway around Marietta | ||||||||||||
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State Route 120 Loop is a ring road in Marietta, Georgia, also known as North and South Marietta Parkway or the North and South Loop. It is approximately 7.6 miles (12.2 km) in circumference and intersects Interstate 75 twice, on the north and south sides of Marietta (its parent route, S.R. 120, does not have an interchange with I-75).
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[edit] History
S.R. 120 Loop was built over an approximately 20 year span from 1967-1989. The first sections complete and open to traffic extended east of U.S. 41 and included the interchanges with I-75 and mainline S.R. 120. Initially, mainline S.R. 120 followed what is now the northern part of the loop between Roswell Road (S.R. 120) and U.S. 41: a move that resulted in the decommissioning of the portion of S.R. 120 from U.S. 41 at the Big Chicken to the S.R. 120 Loop interchange. This was changed to the configuration of today, however, in the early 1970's. The northern portion of the Loop is distinct in that it ended at a partial diamond interchange at U.S. 41 with the roadway built up for a future full interchange.
Work did not commence again on the remainder of the highway until the late 1970's. Work to upgrade Clay Street from U.S. 41 to Powder Springs Street (S.R. 360) included a relocation of part of the street to an underpass beneath the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. When work was completed, it finished the southern half of the route and the highway was extended. Clay Street would later be renamed South Marietta Parkway with exception to Old Clay Street, which remains connecting the Loop to Atlanta Street (S.R. 5).
Work began again in the early 1980's to complete most of the northern quadrant when the roadway was extended from the previously mentioned diamond interchange to connect to and take over Page Street. The unfortunate part of this extension was that the planned overpass of U.S. 41 was never built and an at-grade intersection was put there instead. However, the ramps still curiously remain. Page St. had previously ended at Fairground Street, and the extension completed all parts of the loop except one final part.
1989 saw completion of the final leg of the loop. This portion took out the lumberyard of Williams Brothers Lumber Company and involved building an entrenched roadway with an overpass for Kennesaw Avenue and the L&N Railroad with the roadway tying into the Powder Springs Street Extension, which previously ended at Polk Street. The completion of this final leg resulted in the completion of the loop. In addition, S.R. 5 was relocated out of downtown Marietta onto part of the new loop to the west.
[edit] Names
- Along the north side from Church St. to Roswell Rd., it is known as N. Marietta Parkway. Most of this route used to be known as Page St.
- Along the west side from Church St. until the change over with Powder Springs St., it is known as S. Marietta Pkwy., and is cosigned with S.R. 5.
- S. Marietta Pkwy. is also used along the south side from the intersection with Powder Springs St. until Roswell St. Most of this route used to be known as Clay St.
[edit] Purpose
Its main purpose is as a bypass around the central part of Marietta, like most loop roads. However, it's also a common surface street for locals. The 2 main intersections with Interstate 75 in Marietta are along this road in the eastern part of Marietta.
[edit] Intersections
[edit] Highways
Traveling south from Church St. to Powder Springs St:
- Whitlock Ave. (S.R. 120 towards Dallas)
- Powder Springs St. (S.R. 360 towards Powder Springs)
Travelling west from Powder Springs St:
