Interstate 95 in Georgia

This article is about the section of Interstate 95 in Georgia. For the entire route, see Interstate 95.

Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States traveling from Miami, Florida to the Canadian border in Maine. In the U.S. state of Georgia, I-95 serves the Atlantic Coast in the southeastern portion of the Peach State. 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, as well as passing through the coastal counties of Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham. I-95 in Georgia has the unsigned designation of State Route 405 (GA 405).

Route description[]

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

The highway enters Georgia via twin bridges over the St. Marys River, where it immediately enters the city of Kingsland, intersecting State Route 40 (GA 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 the southern terminus of I-101 at Exit 86 before intersecting US 17 again, this time in Richmond Hill, before intersecting GA 204, a busy freeway and southern bypass into Savannah. The route then intersects with US 88, I-16 and US 80 in Pooler, also providing direct access to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport via the Airways Avenue exit (exit 104). After that, the final exit in Georgia is in Port Wentworth, where it intersects GA 21, 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 off-ramp with exit 1, while the on-ramp from here runs under a bridge beneath the same off-ramp before leading back onto northbound I-95. The southbound Welcome Center can be found just after the off-ramp for first southbound truck weighing center, only for both facilities to share an on-ramp back to southbound I-95. Other rest areas, weigh stations, and visitor centers operate independently with no access to any other facilities or destinations.

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.

History[]

1960s[]

In 1965, I-95 was proposed from the Florida state line to GA 251 near Darien. It was under construction from there to GA 99 near Crescent. It was proposed from there to the South Carolina state line. In 1966, it was under construction from its southern interchange with GA 99 to just north of GA 131 in South Newport. In 1967, it was under construction just north of South Newport. It was under construction from I-101 in Richmond Hill to I-16 near Savannah. In 1968, it was under construction from the Florida state line to GA 40 in Kingsland. It was also under construction from its southern interchange with GA 99 to GA 251 near Darien. It was open as I-95 from GA 251 to its northern interchange with GA 99 in Eulonia. It was under construction from Eulonia to US 17/GA 25 north of South Newport.

1970s[]

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/GA 27 near Brunswick to GA 251 near Darien. It also had an under construction from Eulonia to I-16. In 1971, it was under construction from the Florida state line to northeast of White Oak, and also between the US 17/GA 25 interchanges north of South Newport and in Richmond Hill. In 1972, it was open from the Florida state line to GA 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/GA 27 near Brunswick. It was open from there to US 17/GA 25 north of South Newport. It was open from Richmond Hill to I-101 and I-16. It was under construction from just west of the South Carolina state line. 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. In 1974, the highway was open from Brunswick to GA 38 southeast of Midway. In 1976, it was open from the Florida state line to US 17/US 84/GA 25/GA 50 southeast of Brunswick. It was open from US 25/US 341/GA 27 near Brunswick to I-16. In 1977, it was open for its entire length.

After completion[]

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 Greater Savannah Area as the Tom Coleman Highway, in honor of Tom Coleman, a Democrat who served as state senator from 1981 to 1995.

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.

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.

Exit list[]

Business loops[]

Darien[]

The Interstate 95 Business Loop (BL 95) for Darien begins at Exit 42 on I-95, and runs concurrent with GA 99. It then joins US 17/GA 25 (Ocean Highway) and follows the road north in a triple concurrency. After GA 99 separates to the northeast in downtown Darien, BL 95 turns northwest onto GA 251 where it reunites with I-95 at its northern terminus at Exit 49.

Brunswick[]

The former Interstate 95 Business Loop (BL 95) for Brunswick used to serve Brunswick and the Golden Isles between Exits 29 and 38 (former Exits 6 and 8). It was concurrent with US 17/GA 25 but no longer exists. The route returned to I-95 via GA 25 Spur.