Georgia State Route 3


State Route 3 is a state highway that travels south-to-north through portions of the western part of the U.S. state of Georgia, roughly paralleling Interstate 75. The highway travels from its southern terminus at the Florida state line, where SR 3 and SR 300 both reach their southern terminus, concurrent with US 19. Here, US 19 travels concurrent with State Road 57, south-southeast of Thomasville. SR 3 travels through portions of Thomas, Mitchell, Dougherty, Lee, Sumter, Schley, Taylor, Upson, Pike, Spalding, Henry, Clayton, Fulton, Cobb, Bartow, Gordon, Whitfield, and Catoosa counties to its northern terminus at the Tennessee state line, in East Ridge, where US 41/US 76 continue, concurrent with State Route 8. It travels through Thomasville, Albany, Griffin, Atlanta, Calhoun, and Dalton. At long, it is considered the third-longest signed state highway in the U.S. state of Georgia, only behind State Routes 1 and 11.

Route description

Southern and central Georgia

SR 3 starts at the Florida state line in Thomas County, and is concurrent with US 19 and SR 300 from its inception. SR 3 heads slightly northwest and skirts east past Thomasville, before heading through Pelham to Camilla in Mitchell County. SR 3 turns slightly northeast in Camilla and heads through Baconton, Georgia to Albany in Dougherty County, where its concurrency with SR 300 ends, before turning north and heading to Leesburg in Lee County. In Leesburg, the highway turns slightly northwest once more, travels through Smithville, and enters Sumter County.
Turning north again, SR 3 continues through Americus and enters Schley County, curving slightly northwest to Ellaville. Leaving Ellaville in a northerly direction again, SR 3 bisects Schley County and heads into Taylor County and through Butler into Upson County. Just after entering Upson County, the highway turns northwest yet again and travels to Thomaston. Turning back to the north, SR 3 enters Pike County, and travels through Zebulon on its way slightly northeast to Griffin in Spalding County. South of Griffin, SR 3 intersects and begins a concurrency with US 41, in addition to its continued concurrence with US 19. SR 3 also features a brief freeway section as it travels through the western portion of Griffin.

Metro Atlanta

Heading north, the route enters the western portion of Henry County, and heads through Hampton, where the Atlanta Motor Speedway has direct access from the highway, which regularly sees massive backups on weekends when NASCAR races take place there. Continuing north into Clayton County, SR 3 heads through Jonesboro, and crosses I-75 in Morrow.
Heading north through Forest Park, the highway first enters Fulton County, then crosses I-285, and I-75 again, as well as I-85, in quick succession, as it makes its way through the southern Atlanta suburban communities of Hapeville and East Point, forming one side of the perimeter of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport near Hapeville. Turning north, the highway parallels the Downtown Connector very closely, crosses I-20 in downtown Atlanta, and continues north, beginning and ending concurrencies with US 19, US 78, and US 278, as well as forming part of the western boundary of the campus of Georgia Tech. SR 3 subsequently crosses I-75 for a third and fourth time just northwest of where I-75 and I-85 split, and crosses I-285 once more east of Smyrna, just after having entered Cobb County.

Northern Georgia

Heading northwest through Marietta and Kennesaw, the highway leaves the Atlanta area and enters Bartow County, through Emerson, Cartersville and Adairsville, and on into Gordon County. SR 3 heads through Calhoun, crosses I-75 for a fifth time just south of Resaca, and continues to head north into Whitfield County. Heading through Dalton, the route crosses I-75 yet again, before heading northwest into Catoosa County, where it crosses I-75 for the seventh and final time, before reaching its northern terminus at the Tennessee state line, south of Chattanooga. Here, US 41, joined by US 76, enters Tennessee, concurrent with unsigned state highway SR 8.

National Highway System

The following portions of SR 3 are part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense:
  • From the Florida state line to the I-75 interchange west of Morrow
  • From about I-20, on the Adair Park–Pittsburgh neighborhood line in central Atlanta, to the Berkeley Park–Loring Heights–Channing Valley–Collier Hills neighborhood quadripoint in the north-central part of the city
  • From the I-285 interchange, on the Smyrna–Vinings line, to the intersection with the eastern terminus of Black Acre Trail and the southern terminus of 3rd Army Road in Acworth
  • From the bridge over the Etowah River in Cartersville to the bridge over Two Run Creek just north of Cassville
  • From the SR 53 intersection in the southern part of Calhoun to the central part of the city
  • From the intersection with the eastern terminus of SR 3 Conn. south-southwest of Dalton to the I-75 interchange in the northwestern part of the city
  • From about Tunnel Hill to the I-75 interchange south-southeast of Stone Church

    History

1920s

SR 3 was established at least as early as 1919 starting at the Florida state line southwest of Thomasville; no numbered highway extended south-southeast from that city at the time. SR 3 traveled on essentially the same path as it currently does. The main differences were the southern terminus and the northern terminus. It traveled north from Ringgold to the Tennessee state line. By the end of 1926, US 41 had been designated on the entire length of SR 3 from Griffin to the Tennessee state line. Seven segments of the highway had a "completed hard surface": a segment in the northern part of Thomasville, from approximately Ochlocknee to north-northeast of Camilla, from the Mitchell–Dougherty county line to Albany, from south of Americus to Ellaville, from north-northeast of Zebulon to just south of the Spalding–Henry county line, from just north of this county line to just south-southeast of the Henry–Clayton county line, and from just north-northwest of this county line to Marietta. Five segments of the highway had a "completed semi hard surface": a segment south of the Mitchell–Dougherty county line, from Leesburg to the Lee–Sumter county line, from Cartersville to the southeastern part of Calhoun, a segment in the northwestern part of Dalton, and from Ringgold to the Tennessee state line. Ten segments of the highway had a "sand clay or top soil" surface: a segment on both sides of the Grady–Thomas county line, a segment north-northwest of Thomasville, from Ellaville to north-northeast of Rupert, a segment just north-northeast of Butler, from the south end of the SR 22 concurrency to south-southeast of Thomaston, from south of the Upson–Pike county line to Zebulon, a segment in the northwestern part of Marietta, from just south of the Cobb–Bartow county line to Cartersville, from just south of the Gordon–Murray county line to Dalton, and from northwest of Dalton to Ringgold. Six segments of the highway were indicated to be under construction: a segment north of the Lee–Sumter county line, from south-southeast of Thomaston to north-northwest of that city, a segment north-northeast of Zebulon, from just south of the Spalding–Henry county line to just north of that line, from northwest of Marietta to just south of the Cobb–Bartow county line, and from the southeastern part of Calhoun to just south of the Gordon–Murray county line. By the end of 1929, US 19 was designated on the then-current highway from the Florida state line to Atlanta. Also, an unnumbered road was built on the current path of SR 3 south-southeast of Thomasville.

1930s

By the middle of 1930, SR 35 was designated on the unnumbered road south-southeast of Thomasville. Four segments of SR 3 had a completed hard surface: from Thomasville to Albany, from Leesburg to Ellaville, from south-southeast of Thomaston to north-northwest of that city, and from north-northeast of Zebulon to Ringgold. Two segments had a sand clay or top soil surface: from Butler to south-southeast of Thomaston and from north-northwest of that city to north-northeast of Zebulon. Two segments were under construction: from Albany to Leesburg and from Ringgold to the Tennessee state line. By the end of the year, the Albany–Ellaville segment and the Rinngold–Tennessee segment had a completed hard surface. A segment south of Zebulon had a sand clay or top soil surface. From the Florida state line to Thomasville and a segment north-northeast of Zebulon were indicated to be under construction. By the end of 1931, three segments had a completed hard surface: from the Florida state line to Thomasville, a segment north of Ellaville, and a segment north-northeast of Zebulon. Two segments were under construction: from north of Ellaville to Butler and a segment south of Zebulon. In January 1932, the entire highway from Florida to north of Ellaville had a completed hard surface. In April that year, the entire highway from south-southeast of Thomaston to the Tennessee state line had a completed hard surface. A segment south-southeast of Thomaston was under construction. Later that year, the segment from north of Ellaville to Butler had a sand clay or top soil surface. From Butler to the south end of the SR 22 concurrency was under construction. Before the year ended, this segment had a completed hard surface. The segment of SR 3 from the south end of SR 22 concurrency to south-southeast of Thomaston, as well as the segment of SR 35 in the southern part of Thomasville, was under construction. By the middle of 1933, the segment from north of Ellaville to Butler had a completed hard surface. The segment from the south end of the SR 22 concurrency to south-southeast of Thomaston had completed grading, but had no surface course. By the end of the year, all of the then-current path of SR 3 had a completed hard surface. In 1934, the segment north of Ringgold was shifted west to travel northwest from that city. A segment north-northwest of Thomasville, as well as the Pelham–Camilla segment, was under construction. By the end of the year, a segment of SR 35 south-southeast of Thomasville had a completed hard surface. From the Florida state line to south-southeast of the city, this segment was under construction. By April 1935, the central portion of the segment of SR 35 had completed grading, but was not surfaced. By the end of the year, nearly the segment of SR 35 had a completed hard surface. By the middle of 1936, the entire segment of SR 35 had a completed hard surface. Late in 1937, US 19 south of Thomasville was shifted eastward to travel concurrently with this segment of SR 35, with US 319 designated on its former path southwest of Thomasville. SR 3 was split into two parts between Atlanta and the northwest part of Marietta. US 41/SR 3 traveled northwest on the original path, while SR 3E traveled north-northwest on a more eastern path between the two cities. SR 3E's path from SR 120 in the east part of Marietta to US 41/SR 3 in the northwestern part of the city. The rest of SR 3E was under construction. By the end of the year, SR 3W was established, traveling northwest with US 41 on Marietta Street and Old Marietta Road, while SR 3E traveled north-northwest on Hemphill Street and Northside Drive. All of SR 3E in the northern part of Atlanta was hard surfaced. From the north part of the city to the northwest part, the highway had completed grading, but was not surfaced. Later that year, all of SR 3E from Atlanta to northwest of the Fulton–Cobb county line had a completed hard surface.