Georgia State Route 20
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| State Route 20 |
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| Length: | 175 mi (282 km) | |||||||||||
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| Counterclockwise end: | Alabama state line in Floyd County | |||||||||||
| Clockwise end: |    U.S. 19/U.S. 41/S.R. 3 in Hampton |
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State Route 20 is an abnormally-oriented route in roughly the shape of a capital J rotated ninety degrees to the left. Its counterclockwise terminus is at the Alabama state line in Floyd County, and its clockwise terminus occurs in the middle of an overpass over U.S. 19/U.S. 41 and S.R. 3 in Hampton in Henry County at the Atlanta Motor Speedway Where it is known as Bruton Smith Parkway.
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[edit] Routing
From the Alabama state line, S.R. 20 proceeds east into the city of Rome. The highway leaves Rome on the other side multiplexed with U.S. 411 until just north of Cartersville (U.S. 41 briefly joins the multiplex near Cartersville as well), after which S.R. 20 continues eastward on its own. S.R. 20 serves such distant northern suburbs of Atlanta as Canton, Cumming, and Buford, crossing Interstates 75, 575, and 985 as well as S.R. 400. The road turns southeast after S.R. 400 and then south after I-985, crossing I-85 shortly thereafter. The road also has easy access to S.R. 316, leading to Athens.
S.R. 20 continues southward through Lawrenceville and Loganville before meeting Interstate 20 in Conyers. Likely to help alleviate driver confusion due to two identically-numbered highways meeting, the highway is usually referred to at this point as S.R. 138, with which it is multiplexed through Conyers. S.R. 20 continues south and then southwest to the Henry County seat of McDonough, where it briefly multiplexes with S.R. 81. S.R. 81 departs to the north after crossing Interstate 75 at exit 218. The portion of S.R. 20 between the western end of the S.R. 81 multiplex and U.S. 19/U.S. 41 has recently been widened from two lanes to four, including a new southern bypass of the city of Hampton and more controlled access at U.S. 19/U.S. 41. The primary purpose of the widening is to facilitate the flow of traffic to and from the Atlanta Motor Speedway located near the highway's western terminus.
[edit] July 27, 2003 Holt-Dixon Accident
The road is known for the July 27, 2003 wreck that killed Cobb County teenager Sara Holt and injured her parents and their family friends. This incident took place between Sugar Hill and Buford and was caused by a commercial truck driver under the influence of drugs. Sara's death marked the tenth teenager killed in a road accident in Gwinnett County in 2003 [1]. The accident occurred when Gary and Edith Holt and their daughter Sara were traveling to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with some family friends, Joseph and Pamela Dixon and their children. The abovementioned truck driver, Courtney Ellis, crossed the center lane of the road and crashed head-on into the Ford Excursion which the two families were riding in. The Excursion careened off the road and struck a tree, flipping over, and Ellis' truck ran down a ravine. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon and their two children were airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital, while Mr. and Mrs. Holt were transported to Gwinnett Medical Center; Edith Holt was severely injured as a result and was forced to recuperate at a private hospital. This accident sparked increased interest in the training and disciplinary standards of truck drivers, and a "Sara's Law" was proposed by some as a means to punish truck drivers who speed or are caught with drugs.
[edit] Directional signage
In Henry County, S.R. 20 is signed as an east-west route; signage changes to north-south at or near the Newton County line. The point at which signage changes to east-west again is uncertain. In Gwinnett County, S.R. 20 is signed as an east-west route. If one were to begin traveling the highway at the Alabama state line and continue to the end, signage would indicate travel first to the east, then to the south, then to the west - the opposite direction in which the traveler started - and vice versa in the opposite direction.
[edit] Banner Route
State Route 20 has one banner route, Georgia State Route 20 Spur. This route runs from S.R. 20 just east of its interchange with Interstate 75 east of Cartersville south to Allatoona Dam. The route, along with nearby Allatoona Dam road, formed the two segments of State Route 294.
