Georgia State Route 316
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Parkway | ||||
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| 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 | ||||
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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
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwinnett | 0.0 | 0.0 | I‑85 (Veterans Parkway) – Atlanta, Greenville | Western terminus | |
| Lawrenceville | 4.2 | 6.8 |  SR 120 (Duluth Highway NW) – Lawrenceville, Duluth | ||
| 6.4 | 10.3 |   SR 20 / SR 124 (Buford Drive NE) – Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Grayson | |||
| 10.0 | 16.1 | 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 | 20.5 | 33.0 |  SR 81 (Loganville Highway) – Winder, Loganville | ||
| Bethlehem | 22.9 | 36.9 |  SR 11 (Monroe Highway) – Winder, Monroe | ||
| 26.6 | 42.8 |  US 29 Bus. / SR 8 / SR 53 (Hog Mountain Road) – Winder, Watkinsville | Western end of SR 8 concurrency; eastern terminus of US 29 BUS | ||
| Statham | 29.5 | 47.5 |  SR 211 – Statham | Southern terminus of SR 211 | |
| Oconee | 35.0 | 56.3 | 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 | |
| 38.9 | 62.6 | US 29 north / US 78 east / SR 10 Loop – Athens, University of Georgia, Lexington, Hartwell | Eastern 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
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See also
- Georgia (U.S. state) portal
- Atlanta portal
- U.S. Roads portal
References
- 1 2 Google (October 10, 2012). "Route of SR 316" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
- ↑ "http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/507"
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Georgia State Route 316. |