U.S. Route 17 in Georgia

U.S. Highway 17

Route information

Maintained by GDOT

Length:

124 mi (200 km)

Existed:

early 1920s – present

Major junctions

South end:

US 17 / SR 5 near Yulee, FL

I-95 (three locations)
US 25 in Brunswick
I-16 in Savannah

North end:

US 17 / SC 170/ SR 25 near Hardeeville, SC

Highway system

United States Numbered Highways
List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced

Georgia State Routes
Former SR

← SR 16		SR 17 →
← SR 24	SR 25	SR 26 →

U.S. Route 17 in Georgia runs north–south near the Atlantic Ocean, serving Brunswick and Savannah on its path from Florida at the St. Marys River to South Carolina at the Savannah River. Except for part of the route in Savannah, which runs along State Route 404 (Interstate 16) and State Route 404 Spur to the Talmadge Memorial Bridge to Hutchinson Island, US 17 is also State Route 25. SR 25 uses an older western alignment of US 17 into South Carolina.

1 Route Description
2 History
3 Major intersections
4 Related route
5 Other bridges
6 References

Route Description

US 17 enters into Camden County, Georgia at the St. Marys River just south of Kingsland, as a rural two-lane highway. Throughout the southern half of the county, it runs within two miles west of Interstate 95 in a nearly straight line. The highway passes through the city of Woodbine approximately eleven miles north of Kingsland. There is a brief four-lane section in downtown Woodbine before the highway crosses over the Satilla River and returns to two lanes. US 17 continues a northward course, passing through the communities of White Oak and Waverly. At Waverly, US 17 makes a sharp curve to the east for several miles, and includes another brief four-lane section in Northern Camden county. As the highway reapproaches Interstate 95, it curves back to the northeast, soon crossing the Little Satilla River into Glynn County.

Upon entering Glynn County, US 17 runs a few more miles to the northeast before turning right and briefly picking up the tail end of US 82 east, which is a four-lane highway. The two highways interchange with Interstate 95 at exit 29, where US 82 ends and US 17 and GA 520 continue eastward through the marshes of Glynn County as a four-lane highway. After traveling east for several miles, GA 520 proceeds eastward towards Jekyll Island, while US 17 then continues north, still a four-lane highway, over the renowned Sidney Lanier Bridge, which crosses the wide South Brunswick River. The highway continues along the eastern edge of Brunswick, and the F.J. Torras Causeway branches off to the east towards St. Simons Island. North of the Causeway, US 17 is widened to six lanes for a brief section, continuing to somewhat follow the gradient between trees and marsh. North of Brunswick, US 17 returns to a two-lane, yet heavily used, highway, that serves many marshside neighborhoods in northern Glynn County. It continues to run along and just a few miles to the east of Interstate 95. At the South Altamaha River, the highway enters McIntosh County.

In southern McIntosh County, US 17 traverses the marshes of the Altamaha delta wetlands for a few miles. At the northern banks of the delta, the highway passes through the city of Darien, containing another brief four-lane section. North of Darien, US 17 returns to rural two-lane status, still following along Interstate 95, which runs just a mile or two to the west. Eleven miles after Darien, US 17 goes through the small community of Eulonia, continuing a northward course along Interstate 95. At the South Newport River, the highway enters Liberty County.

Just after entering Liberty County, US 17 interchanges with Interstate 95 at exit 67. It continues northwest as a rural, more inland, two-lane highway for six miles, where it passes through Riceboro, with a brief four-lane section. A few miles north of Riceboro, the highway enters the town of Midway, with another brief four-lane section. After six more miles, GA 196 intersects US 17 from the west, after which US 17 becomes four lanes for the remainder of its course in Georgia. It enters Bryan County at the Jerico River.

In Bryan County, US 17 proceeds northeast, approaching and eventually interchanging with Interstate 95 at exit 87. It runs through the city of Richmond Hill, before crossing the Ogeechee River into Chatham County.

After crossing into Chatham County, US 17 runs northeast for a few miles and interchanges with GA 204, also known as Abercorn Expressway. Then US 17 continues northeast as a major highway serving many western Savannah suburbs. Eight miles past Abercorn, US 17 merges onto Interstate 516 west for one mile, while technically still traveling northeast. US 17 north then follows the tail end of Interstate 16 east, while continuing as a limited-access highway, curving back to the northeast and serving as a distributor for downtown Savannah. It then crosses the Savannah River via the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, returns to two-lane status over the industrial Hutchinson Island, and crosses the Back River into Jasper County, South Carolina.

History

In the early 1920s, SR 25 initially ran only from Sterling south to Brunswick and north into Savannah and South Carolina; State Route 27 continued south from Sterling (initially along present State Route 99 and Haynor Road north of Waverly) into Florida.^[1]^[2] US 17 was designated along the route in 1926, and by 1930 the whole route was SR 25.^[3]

The Talmadge Memorial Bridge opened in 1953, carrying State Route 25 Alternate and U.S. Route 17 Alternate over the Savannah River into South Carolina.^[4] In 1994, US 17 Alternate was eliminated, and US 17 was rerouted over it.^[5]

The section of US 17 known as the "Gateway to Historic Brunswick and The Golden Isles" was included in The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2006 list of Places in Peril.

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
Camden		0.00	US 17 south – Jacksonville	Florida State line
	Kingsland		SR 40 – Folkston, St. Marys
	Woodbine		SR 110 south	Southern end of GA 110 concurrency
	White Oak		SR 252 west	Eastern terminus of GA 252
	Waverly		SR 110 north	Northern end of GA 110 concurrency
Glynn	Brunswick		US 82 west / SR 303 north / SR 520 west – Waycross	Western end of US 82 concurrency; western end of GA 520 concurrency; southern terminus of GA 303
			I-95 / US 82 / SR 405 – Savannah, Jacksonville	Eastern terminus of US 82
			SR 520 east	Eastern end of GA 520 concurrency
			US 341 north / SR 27 north – Jesup	Southern terminus of US 341 and GA 27
			US 25 north – Jesup	Southern terminus of US 25
			SR 303
			SR 99 south / I-95 Bus. south	Southern end of GA 99 concurrency; northern terminus of I-95 Bus
McIntosh	Darien		SR 99 north	Northern end of GA 99 concurrency
	Darien		SR 251 / I-95 Bus. south	Northern terminus of GA 251
	Eulonia		SR 99 to SR 57
Liberty	South Newport		I-95 / SR 405 – Savannah, Jacksonville
	Riceboro		SR 119 north – Walthourville	Southern terminus of GA 119
	Midway		US 84 / SR 38 – Hinesville
			SR 196 west	Eastern terminus of GA 196
	Richmond Hill		I-95 / SR 405 – Savannah, Jacksonville
			SR 144
Chatham	Georgetown		SR 204
	Savannah		SR 307 north	Southern terminus of GA 307
			I-516 east / US 80 east / SR 21 south	southern end of I-516, US 80, and GA 21 concurrencies
			I-16 west (GA 404) / I-516 west / US 80 west / SR 21 west SR 25 north	Northern end of I-516, US 80, GA 21, and GA 25 concurrencies; western end of I-16 concurrency
			SR 204 west	Eastern terminus of GA 204
			I-16 / SR 404 Spur	Eastern terminus of I-16; southern terminus of GA 404 Spur
			SR 25 Conn.	Western terminus of GA 25 Conn.
			US 17 north – Charleston SR 404 Spur	South Carolina state line; northern terminus of GA 404 Spur
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/Former • Incomplete access • Unopened

Related route

State Route 25 Connector
Location:	Savannah

State Route 25 Connector is a rural route through Savannah and Garden City, which begins at US 17 / SR 404 Spur at the southern end of the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge.

The purpose of SR 25 Connector is to bring travelers through downtown Savannah and through the business districts. Before the route existed, routes US 17 / SR 25 and US 80/SR 26 traveled through downtown Savannah, but they were eventually re-routed up Interstate 516. Although SR 25 Connector is a connector route, it is more efficient for one to travel from the Talmadge Bridge down Interstate 16 to I-516, where SR 25 is cosigned.

Other bridges

The J. Edwin Godley Bridge crosses the Satilla River in Woodbine, Georgia.
The Sidney Lanier Bridge crosses the South Brunswick River in Brunswick, Georgia.
The Harold James Friedman bridge crosses the Altamaha River between Glynn County, Georgia and McIntosh County, Georgia.
The Eugene Talmadge Bridge crosses the Savannah River on the Georgia/South Carolina line.

	U.S. Roads portal
	State of Georgia portal

References

^ Rand McNally, 1923 Auto Trails Map of Georgia
^ Clason Map Company, 1924 Midget Map of the Best Roads of Georgia
^ 1930 map of Florida
^ 1970 Official Highway Map of Georgia
^ Alternate U.S. Routes from US 1 to US 40

U.S. Route 17
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