Georgia State Route 515

State Route 515 marker

State Route 515
Zell Miller Mountain Parkway
Route information
Maintained by GDOT
Length: 76.2 mi[1] (122.6 km)
Existed: 1920[2] – present
Major junctions
South end: I‑575 / SR 5 / SR 5 Bus. / SR 372 west of Nelson
  US 76 / SR 2 / SR 282 in East Ellijay
US 19 / US 129 / SR 11 in Blairsville
US 76 / SR 2 / SR 17 northeast of Young Harris
North end: NC 69 at the North Carolina state line in Towns County near Lake Chatuge
Highway system
  • Georgia State Routes
← SR 500SR 520 →

State Route 515 (SR 515) is a four-lane C-shaped state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It begins just west of Nelson. It curves to the northeast to Lake Chatuge, where it heads north to the North Carolina state line. The route was built to give motorists in the north Georgia mountains better access to Atlanta and its outlying suburbs, as opposed to the old SR 5 and U.S. Route 76 (US 76) routes, which this project replaced. SR 515 is also known as the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway, in honor of the Young Harris native turned Georgia governor and U.S. senator. It is one of the Georgia Department of Transportation's GRIP corridors. The highway is known for its fantastic mountain views all along its route. SR 515 is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System's Corridor A.

Route description

SR 5 and SR 515 in northern Pickens County, Georgia

SR 515 begins just west of Nelson and just north of the Cherokee-Pickens County line, at the convergence of the northern terminus of Interstate 575, SR 5, the northern terminus of SR 5 Business, and the northern terminus of SR 372. It is concurrent with SR 5 from its southern terminus to Blue Ridge. It is also concurrent with US 76 from East Ellijay to a point between Young Harris and Hiawassee. It maintains a fairly strict south-north routing from its southern terminus to Blue Ridge and then becomes a due east-west route for the remainder of its length.[1]

SR 515 is a significant route for the north Georgia mountains, funneling tourist traffic and serving as a growth corridor. SR 515 sees an Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) of more than 10,000 vehicles south of Blue Ridge, and at least 5,000 on the entirety of the route.[3]

The entire length of SR 515, including the concurrent sections, is part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility and defense.[4]

History

The road that would eventually become numbered as SR 515 was established at least by 1919 along nearly the same alignment as it travels today. At the time, it was numbered as SR 5 from Nelson to Ellijay, SR 2 and possibly 5 from Ellijay to Blue Ridge, and SR 2 from Blue Ridge to the Young Harris area. The entire route was paved by this time.[2] In 1989, SR 515 was signed along its entire length.[5][6]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Pickens​0.00.0 SR 5 Bus. south / SR 372 south – Nelson, Ball Ground
I‑575 south / SR 5 south (SR 417) – Canton		Southern terminus; northern terminus of I-575; northern terminus of SR 5 Business/SR 372; southern end of SR 5 concurrency
Jasper2.43.9 SR 53 east / SR 108 (Waleska Highway) – Waleska, Tate, Reinhardt University, Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge, Funk Heritage CenterSouthern end of SR 53 concurrency
7.011.3 SR 53 west / SR 53 Bus. south (West Church Street) – Fairmount, Jasper, Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge, Historic Downtown Jasper Business District, AirportNorthern end of SR 53 concurrency
​ SR 136 – Resaca, Talking Rock, Carters Lakeinterchange
Gilmer​19.731.7 SR 382 west
East Ellijay24.940.1 US 76 west / SR 2 west / SR 282 west (First Avenue) to US 41 – Chatsworth, Historic Downtown EllijaySouthern end of US 76/SR 2 concurrency; eastern terminus of SR 282
SR 52 – Fort Mountain State Park, Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodgeinterchange
FanninBlue Ridge SR 5 north (West First Street) – Epworth, Downtown Blue Ridgenorth end of SR 5 overlap
​45.172.6 SR 60 (Lakewood Highway) – Murphy, NC, Morganton
Union​55.990.0 SR 325 north (Nottely Dam Road) – Murphy, NC, Nottely Dam
Nottely River61.999.6Bridge
Blairsville63.0101.4 US 19 / US 129 / SR 11 – Murphy, NC, Blairsville, Cleveland, Brasstown Bald Mountain, Union County Museumsouth end of US 129 Truck overlap
63.5102.2Pat Haralson Memorial Drive - Historic Courthouse and Museum, Blairsvilleinterchange
​
US 129 Truck south (Glen Gooch By-Pass / Industrial Boulevard) to SR 11 south		north end of US 129 Truck overlap
TownsYoung Harris71.6115.2 SR 66 north (Murphy Street)Southern terminus of SR 66
​75.0120.7 US 76 east / SR 2 east / SR 17 south – HiawasseeNorthern end of US 76/SR 2 concurrencies; southern end of SR 17 concurrency
​76.0122.3 SR 339 west (Crooked Creek Road) – Warne, NCEastern terminus of SR 339
​76.2122.6 NC 69 north – HayesvilleNorth Carolina state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Google (February 23, 2013). "Route of SR 515" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Georgia State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by GSHD. Georgia State Highway Department. January 1, 1920. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "National Highway System: Georgia" (PDF). United States Department of Transportation. May 8, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  5. ↑ Georgia State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by GSHD. Georgia State Highway Department. January 1, 1989. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ Georgia State Highway System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by GSHD. Georgia State Highway Department. January 1, 1990. Retrieved February 23, 2013.

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