Georgia State Route 316

State Route 316 marker

State Route 316
University Parkway
Route information
Maintained by GDOT
Length: 38.9 mi[1] (62.6 km)
Major junctions
West end: I‑85 west of Lawrenceville
 
US 29 / US 29 Bus. / SR 8 northeast of Lawrenceville

US 78 / US 78 Bus. / SR 10 southeast of Bogart
East end: US 29 / US 78 / SR 10 Loop in Athens
Location
Counties: Gwinnett, Barrow, Oconee
Highway system
  • Georgia State Routes
← SR 315SR 317 →

State Route 316 (also known as SR 316, University Parkway, Georgia 316 or 316) is a state highway in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It links the Atlanta metropolitan area with Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia. The state route is 38.9 miles (62.6 km) in length.

The first 5 miles (8.0 km) of the state highway is a freeway, but the rest of the route is at-grade with traffic signals.

Despite SR 316 being concurrent with US 29 for most of its route, the road is nearly always referred to by its state route designation, while US 29 is usually associated with its original route.

GA 316 could possibly be extended as a freeway from its Buford Drive/Collins Hill Exit to Athens on its current route, hitting roads like Winder Hwy (U.S. Route 29, GA 8), Sugarloaf Parkway (current intersection), SR 81/ Loganville Hwy, SR 53/ Hog Mountain Road, and US 78/ GA 10 (current intersection) to the Perimeter. This almost happened as a toll road in 2004, but was denied.[2]

Route description

Gwinnett County

SR 316 begins at an interchange with Interstate 85 (I-85) exit 106, west of Lawrenceville. The route heads east, and then northeast, to an intersection with SR 120 in Lawrenceville. Farther to the northeast is an intersection with SR 20/SR 124, also in Lawrenceville. Northeast of the city, is a major intersection: US 29/SR 8 come in from the southwest and intersect SR 316. At the intersection, SR 8 continues to the northeast, concurrent with US 29 BUS, while SR 316 has a concurrency with the US 29 mainline.

Barrow County

Southwest of Winder, the two routes intersect SR 81. To the east, in Bethlehem, is an intersection with SR 11. Northeast of the city, the two routes encounter SR 53. Just before entering Statham, the routes turn to the southeast and intersect SR 211 in the city.

Oconee County

Southeast of Bogart, the two routes intersect US 78/SR 10, which come in from the southwest. At the intersection, SR 10 continues to the northeast, concurrent with US 78 BUS, while the US 78 mainline joins the US 29/SR 316 concurrency. Just before the eastern terminus, the concurrency turns slightly to the east, and then to the northeast. US 29/US 78/SR 316 intersect SR 10 Loop/SR 422 (Paul Broun Parkway/Athens Perimeter Highway) in Athens. Here, SR 316 has its eastern terminus, while US 29/US 78 join SR 10 Loop/SR 422 in a concurrency to the east.

History

The first portion of the highway was completed as a freeway into Lawrenceville in 1960, after the city was bypassed by I-85. With the subsequent expansion of Atlanta into its eastern suburbs, travel between the capital city and Athens became increasingly difficult as highways US 29 and US 78 were both routed through multiple business districts. Over the next several decades, the state completed SR 316 in sections, weaving through the original route of US 29 in order to bypass all communities and business districts, including the congested Atlanta Highway in Athens.

Gwinnett Junction

In 2006 the Department of Transportation upgraded the interchange of I-85 and SR 316. In 2006, they extended the collector/distributor (C/D) lanes from Boggs Road to Old Peachtree to Pleasant Hill to Old Peachtree. Drivers going to Pleasant Hill Road and Gwinnett Place Mall area could go there and those not wouldn't be in the exit-only lane. Going north, there was added an exit to Boggs Road and the same C/D lanes ahead.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Gwinnett 0.00.0 I‑85 (Veterans Parkway) – Atlanta, GreenvilleWestern terminus
Lawrenceville4.26.8 SR 120 (Duluth Highway NW) – Lawrenceville, Duluth
6.410.3 SR 20 / SR 124 (Buford Drive NE) – Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Grayson
 10.016.1
US 29 south / US 29 Bus. north / SR 8 (Winder Highway) – Lawrenceville, Dacula, Winder		Western end of US 29 concurrency; western terminus of US 29 BUS
Barrow 20.533.0 SR 81 (Loganville Highway) – Winder, Loganville
Bethlehem22.936.9 SR 11 (Monroe Highway) – Winder, Monroe
 26.642.8
US 29 Bus. / SR 8 / SR 53 (Hog Mountain Road) – Winder, Watkinsville		Western end of SR 8 concurrency; eastern terminus of US 29 BUS
Statham29.547.5 SR 211 – StathamSouthern terminus of SR 211
Oconee 35.056.3
US 78 west / US 78 Bus. east / SR 10 (Monroe Highway) – Bogart, Monroe		Western end of US 78 concurrency; western terminus of US 78 BUS
 38.962.6 US 29 north / US 78 east / SR 10 Loop – Athens, University of Georgia, Lexington, HartwellEastern terminus; eastern end of US 29, US 78, & SR 8 concurrencies; SR 10 Loop forms a loop around Athens
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Google (October 10, 2012). "Route of SR 316" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ "http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/507"

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Georgia State Route 316.