 State Route 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Georgia State Route 2 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byGDOT | ||||
| Length | 165 mi[1] (266 km) | |||
| Existed | 1919[2]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Cohutta–Chattahoochee Scenic Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  SR 193 inFlintstone | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| East end |  US 76 at theSouth Carolina state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Georgia | |||
| Counties | Walker,Catoosa,Whitfield,Murray,Gilmer,Fannin,Union,Towns,Rabun | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 2 (SR 2) is a 165-mile-long (266 km) east-west State highway in the far North-northern part of Georgia. The highway serves southern suburbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as much of themountains in the northern part of the state. It traverses thecounties ofWalker,Catoosa,Whitfield,Murray,Gilmer,Fannin,Union,Towns, andRabun. It connectsFlintstone, in thenorthwestern part of the state, with theSouth Carolina state line southeast ofClayton in the northern part and thenortheastern part of the state. It also travels throughFort Oglethorpe,Ringgold,Ellijay,Blue Ridge,Blairsville, andHiawassee. Parts of the highway in the Whitfield and Murray county area are designated as the Cohutta–Chattahoochee Scenic Byway.[3]
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SR 2 begins at anintersection withSR 193 in the community ofFlintstone, the route travels east along Battlefield Parkway (with a portion of it named after Chief Deputy Baxter Shavers[4]), with a briefconcurrency withUS 27/SR 1. It then has aninterchange withInterstate 75 (I-75), before reachingUS 41/US 76/SR 3. After a brief concurrency with US 41/US 76/SR 3 throughRinggold, SR 2 splits off inStone Church and continues east. After crossing theConasauga River, the route has another brief concurrency withSR 225, then continues a short distance east toUS 411/SR 61 in the community ofCisco. SR 2 travels concurrent with US 411/SR 61 toChatsworth. In Chatsworth, SR 2 travels concurrent withSR 52 to the east pastFort Mountain toEllijay. Here, SR 2 begins a lengthy concurrency with US 76 to theSouth Carolina state line. US 76/SR 2/SR 5/SR 515, travel to the northeast toBlue Ridge. In town, SR 5 departs to the north, while US 76/SR 2/SR 515 continue east toBlairsville. East of Blairsville, the concurrency arcs to the north, then east, aroundBrasstown Bald. West ofHiawassee, SR 515 departs to the north, and US 76/SR 2 are joined bySR 17, thenSR 75 in Hiawassee. East of Hiawassee, SR 17/SR 75 depart to the south, and US 76/SR 2 continue east through a series ofswitchbacks over theEastern Continental Divide toClayton. At this point, US 76/SR 2 have a brief concurrency withUS 23/US 441/SR 15. The two highways curve to the southeast and meet the eastern terminus of SR 2, theSouth Carolina state line. Here, US 76 continues towardWestminster.[5]
The following portions of SR 2 are part of theNational Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense:
SR 2 was established at least as early as 1919. Then, it started at an intersection withSR 1 inLaFayette. It traveled east-northeast toDalton. It then followed its current path to nearbyChatsworth. It then took a more southerly route toEllijay. It also followed its current path toClayton. It is unclear as to whether it traversed the Clayton–South Carolina path at this time.[2] By the end of 1921, the LaFayette–Dalton and Chatsworth–Ellijay segments were removed from the state highway. Traffic had to travel south-southeast toFairmount. There, it traveled to the east-northeast, concurrent withSR 53 to a point northwest ofTalking Rock. At that point, SR 53 ended and SR 2 began a concurrency withSR 5 north-northeast through Ellijay to Blue Ridge. Also, it was proposed to be extended northeast from Clayton toPine Mountain.[2][9] In 1926, the eastern part of the Dalton–Chatsworth segment and nearly the entireHiawassee–Clayton segment had a "sand clay or top soil" surface. The rest of this segment had a "completed semi hard surface". Almost the entire western half of theBlue Ridge–Blairsville segment had a "completed hard surface", with the center of this segment having a completed semi hard surface. Nearly the entire Blairsville–Young Harris segment was under construction.[9][10] In 1929, a different path between LaFayette and Dalton was re-added to the highway. It followed the current path ofSR 136 andSR 201 east-southeast from LaFayette toVillanow and north-northeast to Dalton. About two-thirds of the LaFayette–Villanow segment had a completed semi hard surface. Also, The Clayton–Pine Mountain segment was cancelled.[10][11]
In the middle of 1930, the eastern part of the Dalton–Chatsworth segment had a completed hard surface. The Chatsworth–Ellijay segment was re-added to the highway. The western half of the Blairsville–Young Harris segment had a completed semi hard surface, with the eastern half, as well as the Young Harris–Hiawassee segment completed. The eastern part of the Hiawassee–Clayton segment was under construction.[11][12] By the end of the year, the entire LaFayette–Villanow segment had a completed semi hard surface.US 41 andSR 3 began a concurrency with SR 2 within Dalton. The center part of the Blue Ridge–Blairsville segment had a sand clay or top soil surface. The eastern part of this segment was under construction. The entire Blairsville–Hiawassee segment was completed.[12][13] The next year, the part of the highway just north-northeast of Villanow was indicated as "completed grading, no surface course". The rest of the Villanow–Dalton segment was under construction. The western part of the Dalton–Chatsworth segment had a completed semi hard surface. The entire Chatsworth–Ellijay segment was also under construction. The western half of the Ellijay–Blue Ridge segment had a sand clay or top soil surface, with the rest of this segment completed.[13][14] By August 1932, the eastern part of the Blue Ridge–Blairsville segment had a completed semi hard surface. The entire Hiawassee–Clayton segment had a sand clay or top soil surface. Also the Clayton–South Carolina segment was built, and was signed as SR 2.[15][16] By the end of 1933, the entire Dalton–Chatsworth segment was completed.[17][18] In the third quarter of 1934, SR 2 was extended west-northwest toDavis Crossroads. The entire LaFayette–Dalton segment has a completed semi hard surface.[19][20] By the end of the year,US 76 was designated along SR 2 from Chatsworth to Clayton. It was unclear if the Clayton–South Carolina segment was part of US 76 at this time, though.[20][21] By October 1937, the entireUnion County section of the Blue Ridge–Blairsville segment was completed.[22][23] Before the year ended, SR 2 was extended slightly farther to the northwest from its western terminus.[23][24] Late in 1938, the entire part northwest of LaFayette and the entire Chatsworth–Ellijay segment was "completed grading, not surfaced". By the middle of 1939, the highway was extended northwest just a little more, to an intersection withSR 157 nearAscalon.[25][26] By the end of 1939, the roadway was extended northwest toTrenton, but it was unclear whether it was part of SR 2.[27][28]
.svg) State Route 148 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fort Oglethorpe–Ringgold |
| Existed | 1939[25][26]–1949[29][30] |
By April 1940, the entire Trenton area segment was completed grading, not surfaced. The entire Ellijay–Blue Ridge segment, as well as nearly all of theRabun County part of the Hiawassee–Clayton segment, was completed.[28][31] Parts of the roadway on either side of the SR 157 intersection, the entireWhitfield County section of the LaFayette–Dalton segment, the entire Blue Ridge–Blairsville segment, and nearly the entire Rabun County section of the Hiawassee–Clayton segment, were completed.[31][32] By 1941 started, SR 157 was shifted farther to the east, with the former alignment being redesignated asSR 170. From just northwest of this intersection southeast to the new intersection with SR 157.[32][33] A little later in the year, SR 2 was completed slightly to the southeast of the SR 157 intersection.[33][34] By the end of 1946, US 76 was designated along the Clayton–South Carolina segment.[35][36] By April 1949, SR 2 was shifted to an entirely different alignment west of Blue Ridge. The entire segment from Trenton to Villanow was redesignated asSR 143, and the former State Route 148 (between Ringgold and Ft. Oglethorpe) was newly designated State Route 2[37][circular reference]. This segment (From highway 41 north of Ringgold to highway 27 north of Fort Oglethorpe) was called Georgia 2 Alternate. To this day, some longtime local residents persist in calling this segment "2A", which can be confusing, this stems from the time the road was designated as Georgia 2 Alternate and was signed "2A". The entire Villanow–Dalton segment was redesignated as SR 201. SR 2's new western terminus was atUS 27/SR 1 inChickamauga Park. It traveled throughRinggold and intersectedSR 71 inVarnell. It went northeast toUS 411/SR 61 inCisco. It took a winding path through theChattahoochee National Forest and intersected SR 5 northwest of Blue Ridge. The two highways traveled concurrently into Blue Ridge, where it resumed its former alignment. The entire Chickamauga Park–Ringgold segment, and the SR 5 concurrency, was hard surfaced. From Ringgold to the Whitfield–Murray county line, and from east of Cisco to northwest of Blue Ridge, the highway had a sand clay, top soil, or stabilized earth surface. From the Whitfield–Murray county line to east of Cisco, the highway was machine graded and maintained.[29][30]
By the end of 1953, nearly all of the Ringgold–Varnell segment of SR 2 was hard surfaced.[38] By the middle of 1957, a short section northeast of Blue Ridge was paved.[39][40] By the middle of 1960, about half of the Varnell–Cisco segment was paved. Between 1963 and 1966, the entire section fromHigdon to SR 5 was paved.[41][42] In 1970, the entire segment west ofGregory was paved.[43][44] By 1974, the segment between Cisco and Higdon was impassable due to rock slides.[45][46] In 1986, SR 2 was re-routed south-southwest along US 411/SR 61 from Cisco to Chatsworth, where it began a concurrency with US 76/SR 52. US 76/SR 2/SR 52 traveled to the east and southeast into Ellijay, where SR 52 departed the concurrency. US 76/SR 2 turned left onto SR 5. They entered Blue Ridge. Here, SR 5 departed the concurrency, and US 76/SR 2 headed east as previously.[47][48] In 1989,SR 515 was designated along US 76/SR 2 as it travels today.[49][50]
On March 25, 1958, the bridge over theCartecay River at thecity limits of East Ellijay was designated the A. Charles Soule Bridge.[51]
 | This sectionis missing mileposts for junctions. Please helpadd them. |
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker | Flintstone | 0.0 | 0.0 | SR 193 –LaFayette,Chattanooga | Western terminus |
| Catoosa | Fort Oglethorpe | 3.3 | 5.3 |    US 27 south /SR 1 south –LaFayette,Chickamauga | Interchange; west end of US 27/SR 1 concurrency |
| 4.6 | 7.4 |  US 27 north (Lafayette Road) /SR 1 north –Rossville,Chattanooga | East end of US 27/SR 1 concurrency | ||
| Ringgold | 11.0 | 17.7 |  I-75 (SR 401 / Larry McDonald Memorial Highway) –Atlanta,Chattanooga | I-75 exit 350 | |
| 12.3 | 19.8 |    US 41 north /US 76 west /SR 3 north –Chattanooga | West end of US 41/US 76/SR 3 concurrency | ||
| 12.9 | 20.8 |  SR 151 south (Old Alabama Road) –Trion | West end of SR 151 concurrency | ||
| 13.8 | 22.2 |   US 41 Truck south (Tennessee Street) /US 76 Truck east /SR 151 north –Ooltewah | East end of SR 151 concurrency; northern terminus of US 41 Truck; western terminus of US 76 Truck | ||
 US 41 Truck north (Evitt Street) /US 76 Truck west /SR 151 Spur north | Southern terminus of US 41 Truck; eastern terminus of US 76 Truck; southern terminus of SR 151 Spur | ||||
| 16.2 | 26.1 | US 41 south /US 76 east /SR 3 south –Dalton | East end of US 41/US 76/SR 3 concurrency | ||
| Whitfield | Varnell | 22.6 | 36.4 |  SR 201 south –Tunnel Hill | Northern terminus of SR 201 |
| 24.4 | 39.3 |  SR 71 (Cleveland Highway) –Dalton,Cohutta | |||
| Murray | | 34.8 | 56.0 |  SR 225 south –Calhoun,Chatsworth | West end of SR 225 concurrency |
| | 35.9 | 57.8 | SR 225 north | East end of SR 225 concurrency | |
| Cisco | 38.2 | 61.5 |   US 411 north /SR 61 north –Knoxville | West end of US 411/SR 61 concurrency | |
| Eton | 47.2 | 76.0 |  SR 286 west (Coffey Road) | Eastern terminus of SR 286 | |
| Chatsworth | 49.9 | 80.3 |  US 76 west /SR 52 west (G.I. Maddox Parkway) –Dalton | West end of US 76/SR 52 concurrency | |
| 51.4 | 82.7 |  US 76 east /US 411 south /SR 52 Alt. east /SR 61 south –Fairmount | East end of US 76 and US 411/SR 61 concurrencies | ||
| Gilmer | East Ellijay | 75.9 | 122.1 | SR 52 south (N. Main Street) | East end of SR 52 concurrency |
  US 76 west /SR 282 west (Industrial Boulevard) – North Georgia Medical Center | West end of US 76 and SR 282 concurrencies | ||||
| Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest | 78.1 | 125.7 |    SR 5 south /SR 515 south | West end of SR 5 and SR 515 concurrencies | |
| Fannin | Blue Ridge | 91.9 | 147.9 | SR 5 north (Blue Ridge Drive) –McCaysville,Ocoee River,Epworth, Fannin Regional Hospital | East end of SR 5 concurrency; A.L. Stepp Interchange |
| Morganton | 95.9 | 154.3 |  SR 60 –Mineral Bluff,Dahlonega,Murphy NC | ||
| Union | | 107 | 172 |  SR 325 north (Nottely Dam Road) –Nottely Dam | Southern terminus of SR 325 |
| Blairsville | 114 | 183 |    US 19 north /US 129 north /SR 11 north (Murphy Highway) –Murphy N.C. | West end of US 19/US 129/SR 11 concurrency; former northern terminus ofUS 129 Truck/SR 11 Truck | |
| Pat Haralson Memorial Drive – Union County Courthouse,Blairsville,Union General Hospital | Interchange | ||||
| Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest | US 19 south /US 129 south /SR 11 south (Glenn Gooch Bypass) –Cleveland,Brasstown Bald | East end of US 19/US 129/SR 11 concurrency; former east end ofUS 129 Truck/SR 11 Truck concurrency | |||
| Towns | Young Harris | 122 | 196 |  SR 66 west (Murphy Street) | Eastern terminus of SR 66 |
| | 126 | 203 |   SR 17 north /SR 515 north (Hayesville Road) –Hayesville NC | East end of SR 515 concurrency; west end of SR 17 concurrency | |
| Friendship | 128 | 206 |  SR 288 east (Sunnyside Road) –Lake Chatuge Recreation Area | Western terminus of SR 288 | |
| Hiawassee | 130 | 210 |  SR 75 north (Bell Creek Road) –Franklin NC | West end of SR 75 concurrency | |
| | J. Truman Holmes Bridge | Crossing overHiawassee River | |||
| | 133 | 214 | SR 288 west (Sunnyside Road) | Eastern terminus of SR 288 | |
| 133 | 214 | SR 17 south /SR 75 south (Unicoi Turnpike) –Helen,Brasstown Bald,Gainesville,Cleveland | East end of SR 17 and SR 75 concurrencies | ||
| Rabun | | 146 | 235 |  SR 197 south –Clarkesville,Helen | Northern terminus of SR 197 |
| | Georgia State Patrol Trooper Bobby Staton Memorial Bridge | Crossing ofLake Burton | |||
| Clayton | 157 | 253 |    US 23 /US 441 /SR 15 north –Dillard,Franklin N.C. | West end of US 23/US 441/SR 15 concurrency | |
| US 23 /US 441 /SR 15 south –Clarkesville | East end of US 23/US 441/SR 15 concurrency | ||||
| South Carolina state line | 165 | 266 | Bridge | Crossing over theChattooga River;South Carolina state line; eastern terminus of SR 2 | |
| US 76 east (Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway) –Westminster | East end of US 76 concurrency; US 76 continues into South Carolina. | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Media related toGeorgia State Route 2 at Wikimedia Commons
