Georgia State Route 53

State Route 53 marker

State Route 53
Route information
Maintained by GDOT
Length: 172.15 mi[1] (277.04 km)
Major junctions
West end: US 411 / SR 25 at the Alabama state line west of Cave Spring
 
East end: US 129 Bus. / US 441 Bus. / SR 15 / SR 24 Bus. in Watkinsville
Location
Counties: Floyd, Gordon, Pickens, Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Jackson, Barrow, Oconee
Highway system
  • Georgia State Routes
← SR 52SR 54 →

State Route 53 (SR 53) is a 172.146-mile-long (277.042 km) west-to-east state highway located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway travels from the Alabama state line west of Cave Spring northeast, then east, then southeast to US 129 Bus./US 441 Bus./SR 15/SR 24 Bus. in Watkinsville.

Route description

Western terminus to Dawsonville

Georgia State Route 53 in Calhoun

From its western terminus at the Alabama state line, SR 53 travels east through Floyd County, co-signed with US 411. After a brief concurrency with SR 100 in Cave Spring, US 411 and SR 53 continue northeast to the community of Six Mile. There, the routes become co-signed with US 27 and SR 1, and all four travel north to Rome. In Rome, US 411 departs to the east, and US 27/SR 1/SR 53 travel north, joined by SR 20. Just to the east of downtown, SR 53 departs from the other routes and travels northeast, running parallel to the Oostanaula River and through Shannon into Gordon County. South of Calhoun, the route arcs to the east, intersecting US 41 and I-75 before continuing east. After a brief second concurrency with US 411 and SR 61 in Fairmount, SR 53 continues east into Pickens County. West of Jasper, the route becomes co-signed with SR 5/SR 515, and they travel southeast to SR 108. SR 53 departs SR 5 and SR 515 and continues east, now co-signed with SR 108. SR 108 ends in Tate at the same crossroads as SR 53 Business, but SR 53 continues east into Dawson County to Dawsonville.[2]

Dawsonville to eastern terminus

After a brief concurrency with SR 9 around the courthouse in Dawsonville, SR 53 continues to the southeast, intersecting US 19/SR 400 southeast of Dawsonville. SR 53 continues southeast into Forsyth County, then turns to the northeast near the eastern terminus of SR 306. After running northeast into Hall County and crossing the Chestatee River branch of Lake Lanier, the route again turns to the southeast, then crosses over the Chattahoochee River branch of Lake Lanier. West of Gainesville, SR 53 turns to the southwest, then turns sharply to the southeast near the community of Oakwood, and continues southeast, intersecting I-985. The route continues to head southeast, briefly becoming co-signed with SR 211, then crosses into Jackson County and intersects I-85 in Braselton. This section of the route passes by both Road Atlanta and Lanier National Speedway. Crossing into Barrow County, SR 53 becomes co-signed with SR 11 and SR 211 in the northern portion of Winder. The three routes continue south into downtown Winder. There, SR 211 departs to the northwest, and SR 11 and SR 53 continue southeast, now also co-signed with US 29 Bus and SR 8. Southeast of downtown Winder, SR 11 departs, and US 29 Bus/SR 8/SR 53 continue to the junction with US 29 and SR 316, where US 29 Bus terminates, SR 8 continues east, and SR 53 continues southeast into Oconee County. After crossing US 78, SR 53 assumes an easterly routing, crossing US 129/US 441/SR 24, before meeting its eastern terminus at US 129 Bus./US 441 Bus./SR 15/SR 24 Bus. in downtown Watkinsville.[2]

Traffic

The Georgia Department of Transportation average annual daily traffic (AADT) numbers for the year 2011 show a variety of daily averages across SR 53. In Floyd County, average traffic loads west of Rome hover around 4,000 vehicles per day, with a maximum of 5,000 in Cave Spring. Those numbers increase rapidly as the route approaches Rome, increasing to an average of about 17,000, with a peak of 30,000 in downtown Rome, where SR 53 is concurrent with US 27, SR 1, and SR 20. The average loads dip back down to around 14,000 vehicles north of Rome, and hit a low of around 9,000 vehicles as the route crosses into Gordon County. The vehicle load fluctuates back up into a range from 12,000 to 23,000 in and around Calhoun and approaching I-75, and drops rapidly again east of I-75, reaching lows of just above 4,000 average vehicles. Briefly increasing again to 8,000 in Fairmount, the route carries around 4,000 vehicles per day between Fairmount and SR 5/SR 515.

In and around Jasper, where SR 53 is concurrent with SR 5/SR 515, the route carries between 14,000 and 24,000 vehicles, before rapidly decreasing again to an average load of around 5,000 while concurrent with SR 108. SR 53 then sees the lowest average vehicle load on its way across north Georgia between Pickens County and Dawson County, where the averages drop to around 2,500 vehicles per day. Traffic picks up again west of Dawsonville, and reaches numbers of around 13,000 where the route feeds Dawson County and Forsyth County traffic to SR 400. Once the route crosses into Hall County and approaches Gainesville, numbers increase yet again to around 23,000 vehicles per day north and into Gainesville, and reach nearly 28,000 vehicles as the route feeds I-985. The averages drop rapidly south of I-985 to around 7,000 as the route approaches Jackson County, and the average only increases again to around 10,000 as SR 53 feeds I-85 and then approaches Winder in Barrow County. South and east of Winder, averages drop down to between 3,500 and 5,000 vehicles per day, but then increase one last time to just under 16,000 in Watkinsville, as the route reaches its eastern terminus.[2]

History

The first portions of the roadway that is signed as SR 53 today makes its appearance on Georgia state road maps in 1921, which show the portion of the route from south of Calhoun, through Fairmount, and on to Jasper. That entire portion was already signed as SR 53 at the time; however, this designation was also used in 1921 for the road connecting Calhoun with LaFayette and Chattanooga in Tennessee, which is signed as SR 136 today.[3] By 1926, the Calhoun-to-Fairmount portion was shown as having a sand, clay, or topsoil surface, while the Fairmount-to-Jasper portion appeared as being graded but unimproved.[4]

By 1929, the stretch from Rome to Calhoun had been added and signed as SR 53, with the southern half having been finished in a semi-hard surface, and the northern portion being surfaced with one of the soft surface materials. Another large portion of the route, running from Jasper to Dawsonville, on to Gainesville, and continuing to Winder, had also been graded by 1929, but did not appear to be signed yet.[5] By early in 1932, the route had been extended to start at the Alabama state line, with some of the portion from the state line to Cave Spring, and a portion into Rome, appearing to be surfaced with hard cover, and the remainder of the route between the state line and Rome being covered in soft material. About half of the route out of Rome had also been improved to hard surface, and the same was the case for the entire portion between Fairmount and Jasper, as well as more than half of the portion between Jasper and Dawsonville, and part of the stretch between Gainesville and Winder. In addition, the entire existing route, from Rome to Winder, was signed as SR 53 by 1932.[6]

The final stretch of the main route of SR 53 appeared in August 1933, when the portion from Winder to Watkinsville was shown as graded but unimproved for the first time. Very little had changed otherwise, and the road surface conditions had remained static since early in 1932.[7] By early in 1935, the only change of note to the route was the fact that the portion from the Alabama state line to Rome had by then been co-signed with US 411.[8] In 1945, only portions of the route were not yet improved to feature hard surface; namely, the stretches from west of Calhoun to Fairmount, and the portion between Winder and Watkinsville were the only unimproved parts.[9] It was 1953 before the entirety of the route was marked on Georgia highway maps as having been covered with hard surface.[10]

SR 53's routing was changed between 1955 and 1957 on the stretch of the route between Dawsonville and Gainesville, due to the construction of the new Lake Lanier Reservoir.[11] Until the change, the route did not run through Forsyth County, but accessed Hall County directly from Dawson County by running east and then southeast into Gainesville. By 1957, SR 53 dipped further southeast into Forsyth County, then cuts straight east into Hall County before resuming its original path to Gainesville.[12] From around 1960 until its decommissioning around 1986, the former SR 318 ran from SR 9, crossed the former SR 9E, and terminated at SR 53 just southeast of where SR 53 and SR 400 intersect today. Former SR 318 today goes by the name Dawson Forest Road.[13][14]

Until 2007, the main route of SR 53 ran through downtown Jasper, following what is today signed as SR 53 Business. In 2006-2007, the route was realigned to follow SR 5/515 and SR 108 south and east around Jasper.[15]

As of 2014, GDOT plans to demolish the steel-truss bridge that carries Georgia 53 over Lake Lanier at the Forsyth/Hall county line. Built when the Chestatee River was flooded to create the lake, the Boling Bridge will be replaced with a much more bland structure. Because this will destroy the large nests built by ospreys atop the current bridge, new platforms about 30 feet (9 m) high will be installed on and near the new bridge for nesting.[16][17]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Floyd​0.0000.000 US 411 west / SR 25 – CentreWestern terminus of SR 53; continues as US 411 and SR 25 into Alabama; western terminus of concurrency with US 411 in Georgia
Cave Spring4.4477.157 SR 100 north (Fosters Mill Road) – LivingstonWestern terminus of concurrency with SR 100
5.0898.190 SR 100 south (Mill Road) – CedartownEastern terminus of concurrency with SR 100
Six Mile14.89323.968 US 27 south / SR 1 (Cedartown Highway/Rome Highway) – CedartownSouthern terminus of concurrency with US 27 and SR 1
Rome19.64031.608 US 411 east / SR 20 (Cartersville Highway) – CantonSouthern terminus of concurrency with SR 20; eastern terminus of concurrency with US 411
20.42332.868 SR 101 south (Rockmart Highway) – Silver Creek
21.75635.013 US 27 north / SR 1 north (Old Summerville Road) / SR 20 west (Shorter Avenue) – SummervilleNorthern terminus of concurrency with US 27, SR 1, and SR 20
21.94235.312 SR 293 east (Kingston Highway) – Kingston
24.37639.229 SR 1 Loop
Shannon32.37252.098 SR 140 (Turkey Mountain Road/Adairsville Road) – Armuchee, Adairsville
GordonCalhoun41.00365.988 SR 53 Spur north – Calhoun
43.60870.180 US 41 (Wall Street) / SR 3 – Adairsville, Resaca
44.67671.899 I‑75 south – Atlanta
Fairmount58.59094.291 US 411 south / SR 61 (Salacoa Avenue) – CartersvilleSouthern terminus of concurrency with US 411 and SR 61
58.92394.827 US 411 north / SR 61 – ChatsworthNorthern terminus of concurrency with US 411 and SR 61
PickensHinton67.981109.405 SR 136 Conn. north – Talking Rock
Jasper75.555121.594 SR 5 north / SR 515 – Talking RockNorthern terminus of concurrency with SR 5 and SR 515
​80.144128.979 SR 5 south / SR 515 – Ball GroundSouthern terminus of concurrency with SR 5 and SR 515
Tate82.338132.510 SR 53 Bus. north – Jasper
Dawson​99.085159.462 SR 183 north (Elliott Family Parkway) – Juno
Dawsonville101.617163.537 SR 9 south – Silver CityWestern terminus of concurrency with SR 9
101.724163.709 SR 9 north – DahlonegaEastern terminus of concurrency with SR 9
​108.219174.162 US 19 south / SR 400 – Cumming
Forsyth​113.894183.295 SR 306 south (Keith Bridge Road) – Coal Mountain
HallGainesville122.597197.301 SR 53 Conn. east – Gainesville
124.738200.746 SR 369 west (Browns Bridge Road) – Coal Mountain
Oakwood129.283208.061 I‑985 / US 23 / SR 365 (Lanier Parkway)
129.658208.664 SR 13 north (Atlanta Highway) – Gainesville
Chestnut Mountain133.949215.570 SR 211 south (Old Winder Highway) – BraseltonNorthern terminus of concurrency with SR 211
134.311216.153 SR 211 north (Tanners Mill Road)Southern terminus of concurrency with SR 211
JacksonBraselton140.059225.403 I‑85 south – Atlanta
140.617226.301 SR 124 east (Lewis Braselton Boulevard)Northern terminus of concurrency with SR 124
140.642226.341 SR 124 west (Broadway Avenue)Southern terminus of concurrency with SR 124
Hoschton141.615227.907 SR 332 north (Pendergrass Road) – Pendergrass
BarrowWinder149.051239.874 SR 11 east / SR 211 east (Jefferson Highway) – Jefferson, StathamNorthern terminus of concurrency with SR 11 and SR 211
149.966241.347 SR 82 east (Broad Street)
150.530242.255 SR 211 west (W Athens Street)Southern terminus of concurrency with SR 211
150.701242.530 US 29 Bus. west / SR 8 west / SR 81 south (Atlanta Highway) – Auburn, LoganvilleWestern terminus of concurrency with US 29 Bus and SR 8
151.563243.917 SR 11 south (Monroe Highway) – MonroeSouthern terminus of concurrency with SR 11
​155.341249.997 US 29 / US 29 Bus. / SR 8 east / SR 316 – Lawrenceville, AthensEastern terminus of concurrency with US 29 Bus and SR 8
Oconee​161.568260.018 US 78 / SR 10 (Monroe Highway) – Monroe, Athens
Watkinsville171.421275.875 US 129 / US 441 / SR 24 (Macon Highway/Watkinsville Bypass) – Madison, Athens
172.146277.042 US 129 Bus. / US 441 Bus. / SR 15 / SR 24 Bus. (North Main Street)Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Special routes

SR 53 Spur in Calhoun

State Route 53 Spur
Location: Calhoun
Length: 2.930 mi[1] (4.715 km)

State Route 53 Spur continues north and northeast into downtown Calhoun as the main route of SR 53 makes a sharp turn to the east and southeast and bypasses Calhoun to its south. The spur terminates at its intersection with US 41 and SR 3 in the heart of Calhoun.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Calhoun, Gordon County.

mi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
0.0000.000 SR 53 south – Rome
2.7194.376 SR 136 Conn. north
2.9304.715 US 41 / SR 3 – Adairsville, Resaca
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

SR 53 Business in Jasper

State Route 53 Business
Location: Jasper
Length: 6.434 mi[1] (10.355 km)

State Route 53 Business is a 6.434 miles (10.355 km) business branch of SR 53, which continues east into downtown Jasper as the main route of SR 53 turns southeast, concurrent with SR 5 and SR 515. In the heart of Jasper, SR 53 Bus turns southeast and utilizes what used to be the original routing of SR 5 through Jasper, which was re-designated as SR 5A in 1982.[18] SR 53 Business meets the main SR 53 route again in Tate, where SR 53 is concurrent with SR 108. SR 53 Bus follows the original routing of SR 53 through Jasper.

SR 53 Connector in Gainesville

State Route 53 Connector
Location: Gainesville
Length: 1.790 mi[1] (2.881 km)

State Route 53 Connector runs east into Gainesville and forms a 1.790 miles (2.881 km) connecting route between the SR 53 mainline, which turns sharply southwest and then south, and SR 60, which in turn connects downtown Gainesville with I-985.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "County GIS Base map shapefiles/geodatabases (varies by county)". Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Geographic Transportation Reporting Analysis and Query System (GeoTRAQS) (Map). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (1921 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (May 17, 1926 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (October 1929 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  6. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (January 1932 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (August 1933 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (January 1, 1935 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia System of State Roads (PDF) (Map) (January 1, 1945 ed.). State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia Highway System and Connections (PDF) (Map) (September 1, 1953 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  11. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia Highway System and Connections (PDF) (Map) (June 1, 1955 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia Highway System and Connections (PDF) (Map) (July 1, 1957 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia Highway System and Connections (PDF) (Map) (June 1, 1960 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  14. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia Highway System and Connections (PDF) (Map) (January, 1986 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  15. ↑ Staff. Georgia Official Highway and Transportation (PDF) (Map) (2007 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  16. ↑ "GDOT to build osprey homes as part of bridge project". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  17. ↑ "DOT plans to build new home for osprey as part of Boling Bridge project". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  18. ↑ Staff. State of Georgia Highway System and Connections (PDF) (Map) (January 1982 ed.). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 24 January 2013.

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