Interstate 16 Georgia
Interstate 16 travels 167 miles from Interstate 75 near downtown Macon to the central business district of Savannah. The freeway provides a route between the Georgia Gold Coast, Port of Savannah, and Metropolitan Atlanta while doubling as a through route to Jacksonville, Florida for points in the Midwest and Ohio Valley. Interstate 16 consists of a four-lane freeway throughout its routing. However construction is underway in Macon to six-lane the westernmost two miles.
Construction on Interstate 16 commenced in March of 1963 on a 16.2-mile long segment in Laurens and Treutlen Counties. That portion opened to traffic on October 11, 1966. Second to open was the 28-mile section of freeway in the Savannah area on November 24, 1967. Interstate 16 in Macon followed in completion by 1968. Additional stretches of freeway opened in stages during the 1970s between the two endpoints and on September 22, 1978, the last 25.5-mile stretch of Interstate 16 in Emanuel, Candler, and Bulloch Counties was complete.1
Interstate 16's course replaced U.S. 80 as the main route between Savannah and the Interstate 75 corridor. The routing avoids the U.S. 80 towns of Statesboro, Dublin, and Swainsboro to provide a more direct route to Macon. The freeway includes contraflow provisions such as "drop gate barricades" to allow officials to convert Interstate 16 into a westbound only route from Savannah west to Dublin, a distance of 115 miles.
Interstate 16 Highway Guides
| Scenes pertaining to Interstate 16 |
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