Georgia State Route 15
State Route 15 is a state highway that travels south-to-north across the entire length of the U.S. state of Georgia, east of its centerline. This route is part of a multi two-state route 15 that begins at Florida and ends at Georgia at the North Carolina state line. It connects the Florida state line, south-southeast of Folkston with the North Carolina state line, in Dillard, via Folkston, Blackshear, Baxley, Vidalia, Soperton Wrightsville, Sandersville, Greensboro, Athens, Demorest, and Clayton.
SR 15 used to travel through Hazlehurst, Glenwood, and Dublin, which is now the path of SR 19. It used to travel from Dublin to Wrightsville, which is now the path of US 319/SR 31. It also used to travel from Athens, through Arcade and Jefferson, to Commerce, which is now the route of SR 15 Alt.Route description
SR 15 enters Georgia just south of Folkston as a four-lane highway, along with US 1, US 23, US 301, and SR 4. SR 23 and SR 121 joining the concurrency in Folkston. In Homeland, US 301 branches off to the north while the other five routes, head northwest. After about 10 miles, SR 15 and SR 121 also branch off from US 1/US 23/SR 4, as a two-lane highway, crossing US 82/SR 520 in Hoboken. The two state routes continue north through Blackshear, where they cross US 84/SR 38. After that, the two state routes continue to stay together, heading north through the community of Bristol. Soon after, SR 121 branches off to the north while SR 15 heads northwest to rejoin US 1 and SR 4 at Baxley. North of Baxley, the three highways continue, remaining a four-lane highway all the way to the Altamaha River. Approximately past the river crossing, SR 15 branches off to the northwest again, where SR 29 begins and follows SR 15. At Vidalia, SR 15 and SR 29 turn west and follow US 280/SR 30 for several miles to the community of Higgston. The two highways head north from there through the community of Tarrytown and then on to Soperton. SR 29 heads northwest of Soperton while SR 15, along with SR 78, continues north, reaching an interchange with I-16, and goes to Adrian. The two state routes continue north to Wrightsville, where SR 78 departs eastward. SR 15 continues by itself through the adjacent cities of Tennille and Sandersville. Through these cities, most of SR 15 has been widened to four lanes, and it briefly picks up SR 24. North of Sandersville, SR 15 crosses SR 24/SR 540 and then heads north through the community of Warthen and onto Sparta. Through Sparta, SR 15 makes a few turns, briefly picking up SR 16 and SR 22. North of Sparta, it picks up SR 77, and continues north through White Plains and Siloam. At Siloam, SR 15 has an interchange with I-20. SR 77 departs to the north while SR 15 continues northwest to Greensboro, passing beneath I-20, but without direct access. In Greensboro, SR 15 makes two more turns, briefly following US 278/SR 12 through downtown. SR 15 continues north to Watkinsville, after which it joins US 129/US 441. It travels together with US 441 as a mostly four-lane highway throughout the rest of their course in Georgia.
The three highways, along with several others, circle around the east side of Athens along the SR 10 Loop and head north through the town of Nicholson and around the east side of Commerce via a bypass. The highways then have an interchange with I-85, and head between the towns of Baldwin and Cornelia, where they become a limited access freeway for a short time and rejoin US 23. The three highways remain together and head through the cities of Tallulah Falls, Clayton, and Dillard before crossing into North Carolina.History
1920s
SR 15 was established at least as early as 1919 on three segments. The southern segment extended from the current southern terminus through Folkston, Waycross, and Alma, and ended at Hazlehurst. The central segment extended from SR 27 in Lumber City to SR 19/SR 30 west-southwest of Mount Vernon. The northern segment extended from SR 30 in Mount Vernon to Athens, through Jefferson to its current northern terminus. There was no indication if SR 15 traveled between the separate segments, though. By the end of September 1921, the portion of SR 15 from west-southwest of Mount Vernon to Wrightsville was shifted westward, to travel north-northwest to Dublin and had a separate segment from SR 26 east-northeast of Dublin to Wrightsville. Its former path from Mount Vernon to Adrian was redesignated as part of SR 56. By October 1926, US 1 was designated on SR 15 from the Florida state line to north-northeast of Alma. US 129 was designated on SR 15 from just south of Watkinsville to Jefferson. Three segments had a "completed hard surface": a portion southwest of Waycross, a portion in the south-southwest part of Athens, and the Cornelia–Clarkesville segment. By October 1929, SR 4 was designated on US 1/SR 15 from the Florida state line to north-northeast of Alma. This segment, as well as a portion south of Sandersville, had a completed hard surface.1930s
By the middle of 1930, the southern terminus was truncated to the point it previously left the concurrency with US 1/SR 4 north-northeast of Alma. Four segments had a completed hard surface: a portion in the northwestern part of Athens, from southeast of Jefferson to southwest of Commerce, the Baldwin–Cornelia segment, and the Clarkesville–North Carolina segment. Between November 1930 and the beginning of 1932, US 23 was designated on the Baldwin–North Carolina segment. In January 1932, SR 29 was established on SR 15's current path from US 1/SR 4 in South Thompson through Vidalia to SR 56 in Soperton. In March, the Watkinsville–Athens segment was completed. The next month, SR 24 was extended from Athens to Commerce, on what is now SR 15's. Also, the Tennille–Sandersville segment was also completed. Nearly two years later, SR 121 was established from US 84/SR 50 in Hoboken to SR 38 in Blackshear. Later that year, the southern terminus of the northern segment of SR 15 was shifted west-southwest to Dublin, to connect with its central segment. From just north of the Appling–Jeff Davis county line to Hazlehurst, SR 15 had a completed hard surface. About one year later, the Johnson County portion of the Dublin–Wrightsville segment was completed. During the first half of 1936, two segments of SR 15 were completed: the Laurens County portion of the Dublin–Wrightsville segment and a short portion south-southeast of Baldwin. Later that year, the northern half of the Homer–Baldwin segment was completed. By the end of the year, the Treutlen County portion of the Vidalia–Soperton segment of SR 29 was also completed. In the first quarter of 1937, SR 78 was established from Soperton north to Adrian and north-northwest to Wrightsville. In the third quarter of the year, three segments of SR 15 were completed: the entire southern segment, a portion north-northeast of Lumber City, and from the Hancock–Greene county line to just north-northwest of Greensboro. The next year, SR 121 was extended southward to US 1/SR 4 in Racepond and northward to Baxley. Two segments of SR 15 were completed: the Athens–Jefferson and Homer–Baldwin segments. By July 1939, the Vidalia–Soperton segment, as well as a portion in the southeastern part of Commerce, of SR 29, and a portion in the southern part of Wrightsville on SR 78, was completed. Later that year, the entire Commerce–Homer segment of SR 15, as well as the northern half of the South Thompson–Vidalia segment of SR 29, was completed. By the end of the year, all of SR 15 north of Watkinsville, as well as a portion of SR 24 in the extreme northern part of Athens, was completed.1940s
In 1940, the Wrightsville–Tennille segment of SR 15, as well as the portion of SR 78 from Soperton to north-northwest of Adrian, was completed. In the second half of 1941, the Adrian–Wrightsville segment of SR 78 was completed. The next year, a portion of SR 15 southeast of Sparta, as well as the southern half of the South Thompson–Vidalia segment of SR 29, was completed. Between January 1945 and November 1946, US 319 was designated on the Dublin–Wrightsville segment of SR 15. Three segments of SR 15 and one segment of SR 24 were "hard surfaced": from Lumber City to north of Glenwood, from Sandersville to just south of Warthen, the Sparta–Greensboro segment, and the Jackson County portion of SR 24. By February 1948, the Sandersville–Sparta segment of SR 15, the Pierce County portion of the Hoboken–Blackshear segment of SR 121, a portion of SR 121 south-southeast of Baxley, and the entire Athens–Commerce segment of SR 24 were all hard surfaced. By April 1949, US 441 was designated on the Watkinsville–Athens and Commerce–Baldwin segments of SR 15 and the Athens–Commerce segment of SR 24. Two segments of SR 15 were hard surfaced: a portion south-southeast of Dublin and the Oconee County portion of the Greensboro–Watkinsville segment.1950s and 1960s
By August 1950, US 23 was designated on US 1/SR 4 from the Florida state line to north of Alma and on the southern segment of SR 15 from north of Alma to Hazlehurst. The Wheeler County portion of SR 15 and the Greene County portion of its Greensboro–Watkinsville segment, as well as the Blackshear–Bristol segment of SR 121, was hard surfaced. By the beginning of 1952, US 441 was designated on US 23/SR 15 from Baldwin to the North Carolina state line. The Glenwood–Dublin segment of SR 15 and the Racepond–Hoboken and Bristol–Baxley segments of SR 121 were hard surfaced. Between July 1957 and June 1960, SR 15 was re-extended to the Florida state line, on its current path, to Wrightsville. Its former path from north of Alma to Dublin was redesignated as SR 19; its former path from Dublin to Wrightsville, on US 319, was redesignated as SR 31. The paths of SR 15 and SR 24 between Athens and Commerce were swapped. By June 1963, SR 350 was established from US 129/SR 15 in the northwestern part of Athens to US 29/SR 8 in the northeastern part of the city. SR 15 and SR 24 between Athens and Commerce were swapped back. The path of SR 15 between Tallulah Falls and Tiger was shifted southwest on a more direct path. Its former path on US 23/US 441 was redesignated as SR 343. By the beginning of 1966, SR 24's northern terminus was truncated to Watkinsville. SR 15 replaced the Watkinsville–Athens segment, and SR 15 Alt. replaced the Athens–Commerce segment. US 29 was designated on SR 350 from the US 129/SR 15 interchange, which also had US 29 Temp. and US 441 Temp., to the US 29/SR 8 interchange. US 441 Temp. was designated on it from the US 129/SR 15 interchange to the US 441/SR 15 Alt. interchange. A western extension of SR 350, ending at US 29/US 78/SR 8/SR 10, was under construction. Also, SR 350 was under construction east-southeast just slightly from the US 29/SR 8 interchange. US 23/US 441/SR 15 between Tallulah Falls and a point about halfway between Clayton and Mountain City was shifted eastward; at this time, SR 343 was decommissioned. In 1966, SR 350 was decommissioned. US 29 was designated on the freeway from the western terminus to where it, as well as SR 8, depart the freeway. This interchange also had SR 8 Bus. and SR 106. SR 8 was designated on the entire length of the freeway. Its former path through the city was redesignated as SR 8 Bus., still concurrent with US 78/SR 10. In 1967, US 29 was extended on the freeway one interchange to the east. At this interchange, SR 72 was extended southeast to end here, concurrent with US 29/SR 8.