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Interstate 95 in Georgia

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This article is about the current Interstate Highway. For the current state highway, see Georgia State Route 95.
This article is about the section of Interstate 95 in Georgia. For the entire route, see Interstate 95.
Interstate 95 marker
Interstate 95
Map
I-95 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by GDOT
Length112.00 mi[1] (180.25 km)
Existed1968[2][3]–present
HistoryCompleted in 1977
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-95 at Florida state line
Major intersections
North end I-95 at South Carolina state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountiesCamden, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham, Effingham
Highway system
  • Georgia State Highway System
← SR 94→ SR 95
← SR 404SR 405→ SR 406

Interstate 95 (I-95), the main Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, serves the Atlantic Coast of the US state of Georgia. It crosses into the state from Florida at the St. Marys River near Kingsland and travels to the north past the cities of Brunswick and Savannah to the South Carolina state line at the Savannah River near Port Wentworth. The route also passes through the cities of Richmond Hill, Darien, and Woodbine. I-95 in Georgia has the unsigned designation of State Route 405 (SR 405).

Route description

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All of I-95 in Georgia has three lanes in each direction, except in the Brunswick metropolitan area and in the area of the I-16 Intersection, where it has four lanes in each direction. From the Florida state line to the west of Savannah, I-95 travels along the US Route 17 (US 17) corridor, passing near or through marshlands, and is close to the Atlantic coastline.

Annual traffic fatalities variable sign over I-95 north

The highway enters Georgia via twin bridges over the St. Marys River, where it immediately enters the city of Kingsland, intersecting SR 40. The Interstate continues generally north-northeast, bypassing the smaller communities of Woodbine and Waverly en route to Brunswick, where it intersects US 17, US 25, and US 341. The freeway leaves Brunswick, bypassing the cities of Darien and Midway, before reaching the southern suburbs of Savannah. The route first encounters US 17 again, this time in Richmond Hill, before intersecting SR 204, a busy freeway and southern bypass into Savannah. The route then intersects with I-16 and US 80 in Pooler, also providing direct access to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport via the Airways Avenue exit (exit 104). The route then reenters the city limits of Savannah and then intersects SR 17. After that, the final exit in Georgia is in Port Wentworth, where it intersects SR 21/SR 30 and SR 565 (Savannah River Parkway), the major thoroughfare between Augusta and Savannah. I-95 leaves Georgia via twin bridges over the Savannah River and heads north into South Carolina.

The state welcome centers on both ends of I-95 are integrated with other interchanges. The northbound welcome center is built into the northbound offramp with exit 1, while the onramp from here runs under a bridge beneath the same offramp before leading back onto northbound I-95. The southbound welcome center can be found just after the offramp for the first southbound truck weighing center, only for both facilities to share an onramp back to southbound I-95. Other rest areas, weigh stations, and visitor centers operate independently with no access to any other facilities or destinations.

Northbound I-95 at the interchange with I-16; note the crossing gates at the on- and offramps

I-95 intersects I-16 near Savannah (exit 99). Ramps to and from the eastbound lanes of I-16 feature barrier gates to prevent traffic from entering I-16 in the wrong direction during contraflow lane reversal for hurricane evacuations.

The entire length of I-95 in Georgia is part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense.[4][5][6]

History

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1960s

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In 1965, I-95 was proposed from the Florida state line to SR 251 near Darien. It was under construction from there to SR 99 near Crescent. It was proposed from there to the South Carolina state line.[7][8] In 1966, it was under construction from its southern interchange with SR 99 to just north of SR 131 in South Newport.[8][9] In 1967, it was under construction just north of South Newport. It was under construction from Richmond Hill to I-16 near Savannah.[9][2] In 1968, it was under construction from the Florida state line to SR 40 in Kingsland. It was also under construction from its southern interchange with SR 99 to SR 251 near Darien. It was open as I-95 from SR 251 to its northern interchange with SR 99 in Eulonia. It was under construction from Eulonia to US 17/SR 25 north of South Newport.[2][3]

1970s

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In 1970, the highway was under construction from the Florida state line to just southeast of Woodbine. It was also under construction from US 25/US 341/SR 27 near Brunswick to SR 251 near Darien. It also had an under construction from Eulonia to I-16.[10][11] In 1971, it was under construction from the Florida state line to northeast of White Oak and also between the US 17/SR 25 interchanges north of South Newport and in Richmond Hill.[11][12] In 1972, it was open from the Florida state line to SR 40 in Kingsland. It was under construction from Kingsland to northeast of White Oak. It was under construction from east of Waverly to US 25/US 341/SR 27 near Brunswick. It was open from there to US 17/SR 25 north of South Newport. It was open from Richmond Hill to I-16. It was under construction from just west of the South Carolina state line to the line.[12][13] In 1973, it was open from the Florida state line to southeast of Woodbine. It was under construction from there to near Brunswick and from I-16 to the South Carolina state line.[13][14] In 1974, the highway was open from the Brunswick to SR 38 southeast of Midway.[14][15] In 1976, it was open from the Florida state line to US 17/US 84/SR 25/SR 50 southeast of Brunswick. It was open from US 25/US 341/SR 27 near Brunswick to I-16.[16][17] In 1977, it was open for its entire length.[17][18]

After completion

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In 1998, the Georgia State Senate passed a resolution to designate the portion of I-95 between the Ogeechee River (Bryan–Chatham county line) north to the Savannah River in the Savannah metropolitan area as the Tom Coleman Highway, in honor of Tom Coleman, a Democrat who served as state senator from 1981 to 1995.[19]

Until 2000, the state of Georgia used the sequential interchange numbering system on all of its Interstate Highways. The first exit on each highway would begin with the number 1 and increase numerically with each exit. In 2000, the Georgia Department of Transportation switched to a mileage-based exit system, in which the exit number corresponded to the nearest milepost.[20][21]

Construction to widen I-95 from two to three lanes started with the Chatham County segment in 1989, with the other county segments done in phases, with the project completed throughout Georgia on December 10, 2010.[citation needed]

Exit list

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CountyLocationmikmOld exit[21]New exitDestinationsNotes
St. Mary's River0.000.00
 I-95 south (SR 9) – Jacksonville		Continuation into Florida
CamdenKingsland1.071.7211St. Marys Road – St. MarysNorthbound traffic can access the Georgia Welcome Center using exit 1.
3.275.2623 SR 40 (East King Avenue) – Kingsland, St. Marys
5.739.222A6Laurel Island Parkway – Kingsland , St. Marys
7.2311.6437Harriets Bluff Road
Woodbine14.2422.92414
 SR 25 Spur west – Woodbine		GA 25 Spur overlap ends south
​22.4436.11—22Horse Stamp Church RoadFully opened April 3, 2012
Waverly26.4642.58526Dover Bluff Road
GlynnBrunswick29.2647.09629
 US 17 / US 82 west / SR 520 – Brunswick, Jekyll Island, Waverly		Eastern terminus of US 82
35.8657.71736 US 25 (New Jesup Highway) / US 341 / SR 27 – Jesup, BrunswickSigned as exits 36A (south) and 36B (north); previously signed as exits 7A and 7B accordingly
Dock Junction37.6960.66838
 SR 25 Spur (Golden Isles Parkway) to US 17 – Brunswick
​42.4068.24942
 I-95 BL north / SR 99 – Darien		Southern terminus of I-95 Bus.
McIntoshDarien48.8878.661049
 I-95 BL south / SR 251 – Darien		Northern terminus of I-95 Bus.
Townsend58.3293.861158
 SR 57 / SR 99 south – Eulonia, Ludowici		Northern terminus of SR 99
LibertyRiceboro67.29108.291267 US 17 / SR 25 – South Newport, Riceboro
Midway75.96122.251376

 US 84 west / SR 38 west – Midway, Sunbury		Eastern terminus of US 84/SR 38
BryanRichmond Hill-82Belfast-Keller RoadOpened January 22, 2021[22]
87.01140.031487 US 17 / SR 25 (Coastal Highway) – Richmond Hill, Midway
89.38143.841590 SR 144 – Fort Stewart, Richmond HillSigned also as Ford Avenue northbound; previously signed as Old Clyde Road until circa 2016
ChathamSavannah93.45150.391694 SR 204 – Savannah, Pembroke
Pooler98.76158.941799 I-16 (Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway / SR 404) – Savannah, MaconSigned as exits 99A (east) and 99B (west) northbound; exit 99 southbound; previously signed as exits 17A and 17B accordingly
101.51163.3618102 US 80 / SR 26 – Pooler, Garden City
103.50166.5718A104 Pooler Parkway / Airways Avenue – Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
Savannah105.92170.46—106 SR 17 (Jimmy DeLoach Parkway) – Bloomingdale, Port Wentworth
Port Wentworth108.03173.8619109 SR 21 / SR 30 (East branch of Savannah River Parkway / SR 565) – Port Wentworth
Effingham
 No major junctions
Savannah River112.03180.29
 I-95 north – Florence		Continuation into South Carolina
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Unopened

Business loops

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Darien

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Interstate 95 Business marker
Interstate 95 Business
LocationDarien
Length8.7 mi[23] (14.0 km)

Interstate 95 Business (I-95 Bus.) for Darien begins at exit 42 on I-95 and travels concurrent with SR 99. I-95 Bus. and SR 99 then join US 17/SR 25 (Ocean Highway; Altamaha Historic Scenic Byway), and the four highways enter Darien. There, SR 99 splits off, while I-95 Bus. continues following US 17/SR 25 to an intersection with the southern terminus of SR 251 just north of Darien. Here, I-95 Bus. turns onto SR 251 and follows it until it reunites with I-95 at its northern terminus at exit 49. I-95 Bus. is only signed on I-95 at each exit (northbound at the southern terminus and southbound at the northern terminus) and is not signed on any of its constituent highways.


CountyLocationmi[23]kmDestinationsNotes
Glynn​0.0–
0.3		0.0–
0.48
 I-95 / SR 99 south – Brunswick, Savannah, Sterling		Southern end of SR 99 concurrency; southern terminus; I-95 exit 42
​1.42.3

 US 17 south / SR 25 south (Altamaha Historic Scenic Byway) – Hofwyl–Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site		Southern end of US 17/SR 25 concurrency
Altamaha River2.9
3.4		4.7
5.5		Harold James Friedman Memorial Bridge
McIntoshDarien6.310.1
 SR 99 north (Adams Street) / Third Street West west – Ridgeville, Fort King George, Sapelo Island		Northern end of SR 99 concurrency; eastern terminus of Third Street West
​7.411.9

 US 17 north (SR 25 north) / SR 251 begins – Savannah		Northern end of US 17/SR 25 concurrency; southern end of SR 251 concurrency; southern terminus of SR 251; I-95 Bus. turns left onto SR 251.
​8.5–
8.7		13.7–
14.0
 I-95 / SR 251 north – Brunswick, Savannah, Townsend		Northern end of SR 251 concurrency; northern terminus; I-95 exit 49
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Brunswick

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Interstate 95 Business marker
Interstate 95 Business
LocationBrunswick
Length15.7 mi[24] (25.3 km)

Former Interstate 95 Business (I-95 Bus.) for Brunswick used to serve Brunswick and the Golden Isles of Georgia between exits 29 and 38 (former exits 6 and 8). It was concurrent with US 17/SR 25 but no longer exists. The highway returned to I-95 via SR 25 Spur.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1968). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  3. ^ a b State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1969). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  4. ^ National Highway System: Georgia (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. May 8, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. ^ National Highway System: Brunswick, GA (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. May 9, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  6. ^ National Highway System: Savannah, GA (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. May 9, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  7. ^ State Highway Department of Georgia (1963). State Highway System and Other Principal Connecting Roads (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. OCLC 5673161. Retrieved December 27, 2016. (Corrected to June 1, 1963.)
  8. ^ a b State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1966). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  9. ^ a b State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1967). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  10. ^ State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1970). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  11. ^ a b State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1971). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  12. ^ a b State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1972). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Georgia Department of Transportation (January 1973). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Georgia Department of Transportation (January 1974). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1974–1975 ed.). Scale not given. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  15. ^ Georgia Department of Transportation (January 1975). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1975–1976 ed.). Scale not given. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  16. ^ Georgia Department of Transportation (January 1976). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1976–1977 ed.). Scale not given. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Georgia Department of Transportation (January 1977). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1977–1978 ed.). Scale not given. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  18. ^ Georgia Department of Transportation (January 1977). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (1977–1978 ed.). Scale not given. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  19. ^ "State Resolution 648: Designate portion of I-95 in honor of Tom Coleman and Mack Mattingly". First Reader Summary. Georgia General Assembly. March 9, 1998. Archived from the original on January 3, 2006. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  20. ^ "Georgia's Interstate Exit Numbers". Georgia Department of Transportation. June 12, 2003. Archived from the original on February 15, 2004. Retrieved April 30, 2007.
  21. ^ a b Staff (June 12, 2003). "Interstate 95". Georgia's Interstate Exit Numbers. Georgia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 26, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  22. ^ "GDOT Completes New Interstate 95 Interchange". Richmond Hill, Georgia. January 22, 2021. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Overview map of I-95 Bus. (Darien)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "Overview map of I-95 Bus. (Brunswick)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
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Interstate 95
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