| This article is about the section of Interstate 75 in Georgia. For the entire route, see Interstate 75. |
Interstate 75 (I-75) is the main north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States, traveling from Florida to Michigan. In the U.S. state of Georgia, I-75 travels north–south along the U.S. Route 41 (US 41) corridor on the western side of the state, traveling through the cities of Valdosta, Macon, and Atlanta. It is also designated—but not signed—as State Route 401 (GA 401).
In downtown Atlanta, I-75 joins with I-85 as the Downtown Connector. The segment from GA 49 in Byron to I-16 in Macon is part of the Fall Line Freeway and may be incorporated into the eastern extension of I-14, which is currently entirely within Central Texas and is proposed to be extended to Augusta.
Route description[]
Valdosta to Atlanta metropolitan area[]
I-75 is the longest Interstate Highway within Georgia. It enters near Valdosta from Florida, and it continues northward through the towns of Tifton and Cordele until it reaches the Macon area, where it intersects with I-16 eastbound towards Savannah. For northbound traffic wishing to avoid potential congestion in Macon, I-475 provides a relatively straight bypass west of that city and I-75's route.
Atlanta metropolitan area[]
After Macon it passes the small town of Forsyth. The freeway reaches no major junctions again until in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The first metropolitan freeway met is I-675, then followed by the Atlanta "Perimeter" beltway bypass, I-285. It crosses inside the Perimeter and heads north several miles towards the Atlanta city center. I-75 then runs concurrently with I-85 due north over the Downtown Connector through the central business district of Atlanta. I-75,co-signed with I-85, also meets I-20. The areas where I-85 and I-75 run concurrently are some of the most traffic-prone streets in the nation because it has at least 16 lanes. After the two Interstates split, I-75 makes a beeline northwest, crossing outside the I-285 Perimeter Beltway and heading towards the major suburban city of Marietta.
Atlanta metropolitan area to Tennessee state line[]
This section of I-75 just north of I-285 has 15 through lanes, making it the widest roadway anywhere in the Interstate Highway System. North of Marietta, the final major junction in the Atlanta metropolitan area is the I-575 spur. I-75 then traverses the hilly northern Georgia terrain as it travels towards Chattanooga into the Tennessee state line.
Lane expansion[]
The 180-mile-long (290 km) section of I-75 from I-475 to I-24 in Chattanooga is one of the longest continuous six-lane freeways in the United States (some segments along this corridor have as many as 16 lanes).
Due to recent widening in south Georgia, the only four-lane section of I-75 in Georgia is bypassed by six-lane I-475; along this route there are at least six lanes from Florida's Turnpike in Wildwood, Florida to I-24 in Chattanooga.
History[]
1950s[]
1960s[]
1970s[]
1980s[]
After completion[]
Future[]
Interstate 175.
The I-75/I-16 interchange is being revamped with extra ramps to and from US 23/US 129/GA 49.
Exit list[]
Note: exit numbers along Georgia Interstates were renumbered in 1999 and 2000 to be mileage based instead of being sequential.
Related routes[]
Auxiliary routes[]
There are three auxiliary Interstate Highways related to I-75 in Georgia and a fourth that was proposed. I-175 was a proposed spur from Albany northeast to Cordele. The road was built, but not as a freeway; it is GA 300, the Florida–Georgia Parkway. I-475 is a western bypass of Macon, shortening the trip for through I-75 traffic. I-575 is a spur from near Marietta north to Canton and Nelson, and I-675 is a cutoff from I-75 south of Atlanta north to Interstate 285 (Atlanta's perimeter) - east of I-75.
Business routes[]
Additionally, there are three business routes of I-75 in the state of Georgia. One Business Loop I-75 (BL I-75) runs through central Valdosta mostly concurrent with U.S. Route 221. The second BL I-75 runs through downtown Tifton mostly concurrent with U.S. Route 41, and the third and last BL I-75 that runs through Cordele. There was a former business route in Adel–Sparks.