Interstate 85
I-85 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained byGDOT
Length	179.90 mi[1] (289.52 km)
Existed	1960[2]–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-85 at theAlabama state line
Major intersections	I-185 nearLaGrange I-285 /SR 14 Conn. /SR 279 inCollege Park I-75 throughAtlanta I-20 in Atlanta SR 400 in Atlanta I-285 nearNorcross SR 316 nearLawrenceville I-985 inSuwanee
North end	I-85 at theSouth Carolina state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Counties	Harris,Troup,Meriwether,Coweta,Fulton,Clayton,DeKalb,Gwinnett,Barrow,Jackson,Banks,Franklin,Hart
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Georgia State Highway System Interstate US State Special
←SR 84 →SR 85
←SR 402 SR 403 →SR 404

Interstate 85 (I-85) is a majorInterstate Highway that travels northeast–southwest in the US state ofGeorgia. It enters the state at theAlabama state line nearWest Point, andLanett, Alabama, traveling through theAtlanta metropolitan area and to theSouth Carolina state line, where it crosses theSavannah River nearLake Hartwell. I-85 connectsNorth Georgia withMontgomery, Alabama, to the southwest, and withSouth Carolina,North Carolina, andVirginia to the northeast. Within Georgia, I-85 is also designated as the unsignedState Route 403 (SR 403).

I-85 in Georgia usually travels roughly parallel with the route ofUS Route 29 (US 29). However, from Atlanta northeast to South Carolina, I-85 ventures away from that route, traveling about halfway between US 29 and the combination ofUS 23 andUS 123.

Within the city ofAtlanta, I-85 has aconcurrency withI-75 known as the "Downtown Connector". After splitting from Downtown Connector, it is known asNortheast Expressway until its junction withI-285 (The Perimeter).

I-85 enters the state of Georgia from Alabama via twin bridges over theChattahoochee River, and then it immediately skirts the town ofWest Point, withKia's multibillion-dollar plant located adjacent to the freeway just east of West Point. After leaving West Point, I-85 enters theLaGrange area, the first large town in Georgia on its route to the northeast. Northeast of LaGrange, I-85 has an interchange with the longspur freeway,I-185, to theColumbus metropolitan area. This is the only connection between Columbus and theInterstate Highway System.

An 18-mile (29 km) stretch between the Alabama line and exit 18 in LaGrange is serving as an environmental and technological testbed for a project called The Ray, a partnership involving federal and state officials, the private sector, academia and philanthropic organizations. Among the projects are a solar-paved roadway, enhanced road striping for autonomous vehicles, and plantings along theright-of-way to improve runoff and possibly serve as a harvestable crop.^[3]

From LaGrange, I-85 heads northeastward towardAtlanta. Before reaching Atlanta, the highway crosses theCSX TransportationA&WP Subdivision twice (in theGrantville area) and passes through the suburbs ofMoreland,Newnan,Fairburn, andUnion City. The highway then intersectsI-285 at its southwest end inCollege Park. This interchange is one of the most complex interchanges in the country, as I-285 and I-85 stay side by side through the interchange, which actually has two parts. The interchange also features many other, less important local access roads at the same time; meanwhile providing access toHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I-85 then runs along the northwestern boundary of the airport inEast Point, providing access to the domestic terminal.

At the southwestern edge of Atlanta's city limits, I-85 merges withI-75 to form theDowntown Connector, which is 12 to 14 lanes wide. At the southern edge ofDowntown Atlanta, this freeway has an interchange with the major east–west Interstate Highway,I-20. The two freeways then skirt the eastern edge of downtown, running due north, passing through theGeorgia Tech campus and theAtlantic Station section of Atlanta before the two highways split, with I-75 exits via the right three lanes and then heads northwest while I-85 uses the left three lanes and then heads northeast.

Heading northbound after the Brookwood Interchange with I-75, I-85 is routed along a 10-lane-wide viaduct from the Buford Highway Connector (exit 86) toSR 400 (exit 87). Continuing northeast of Atlanta, I-85 continues through the northeastern suburbs, bypassingChamblee andDoraville, where there is another intersection with I-285 (nicknamedSpaghetti Junction). The Interstate then travels through the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta, includingLilburn,Duluth,Lawrenceville, andBuford. The Interstate has freeway interchanges withSR 316 in Duluth andI-985 inSuwanee, which provides a link toGainesville. Satellite Boulevard withinGwinnett County parallels I-85 to the west as an arterial frontage road.

I-85 eventually leaves the Atlanta metropolitan area and narrows down to four lanes (two in each direction) past exit 149 as the highway continues into the rural parts of northeast Georgia. AtLake Hartwell, which was formed by the damming of theSavannah River, I-85 crosses the Savannah River intoSouth Carolina.

I-85 has the first express lanes in Georgia, located inGwinnett andDeKalb counties; they were originallyhigh-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes). From Chamblee–Tucker Road (exit 94) to Old Peachtree Road (exit 109), travelers that utilize the converted 15.5-mile (24.9 km) lanes will be charged a toll varying from 10 to 90 cents per mile (6.2–55.9 ¢/km), depending on traffic conditions and usage. Though not signed on the freeway, they arehigh-occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes), which means registered transport vehicles, carpools with three or more occupants, motorcycles, and busses are exempt from toll charges as long as they are registered as such.^[4] Tolls are collected using anelectronic toll collection system. All travelers that use the lane must have aPeach Pass sticker to avoid fines.^[5][6] Starting in November 2014,SunPass (Florida) andNC Quick Pass (North Carolina) are interoperable withPeach Pass, allowing motorists with those transponders to use the express lanes.

On November 3, 2018, an extension to the express lanes opened, from its former ending at Old Peachtree Road to Hamilton Mill Road (exit 120).^[7] After this extension, four more northbound exit points were added: atSR 317 (exit 111), I-985 (exit 113),SR 20 (exit 115), and at its end at Hamilton Mill Road (exit 120). In addition, four new access points were added to the southbound express lanes: at SR 20, SR 317, Old Peachtree Road, and at the connection to the preexisting express lanes.^[8] The project costed $178 million (equivalent to $218 million in 2024^[9]).^[10] The express lanes extension will incur a separate charge from the existing express lanes. This is to decrease the impact of high congestion on the existing express lanes on the dynamic pricing of the express lanes extension, since lower congestion is expected on the new extension of the express lanes.^[11]

Funds generated from the express lanes will be used to defray the costs of construction, operations, and maintenance of the lanes. Long-term revenue allocation is being studied and a decision about future excess revenues will be made later in the project process.^[12]

Proponents for the express lanes say it is to provide commuters with a more reliable, free-flow commute option; complement the state's multimodal approach to managing traffic demand; and establish the vision for a future system of HOT lanes in the region.^[5] Detractors point out that existing infrastructure was reused for the express lanes and that commute times on the nonpaying travel lanes have doubled since implementation.^[13][14]

Originally constructed as a four- to six-lane expressway in the 1950s, the stretch of I-85 between the southern merge with I-75 and North Druid Hills Road was reconstructed as part of theGeorgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)'sFreeing the Freeways program. This project included rebuilding all overpasses, newHOV-ready ramps (with the system implemented in 1996), and a widening of freeway capacity. Concurrent with this project was the construction of theCivic Center station as part of the West Peachtree Street overpass, which opened in December 1981.

The 30-mile (48 km) section between LaGrange and Newnan was incomplete for a much-longer time that the rest of I-85 in Georgia and required a two-lane detour onUS 27 andUS 29 between those cities. The northern section between Newnan and Grantville was completed first, then the stretch further south to LaGrange was completed in 1977.^[15]

The portion of the highway from the Buford Highway Connector to SR 400 was constructed during the early 1980s and was designed as a replacement for the original four-lane routing of I-85 (nowSR 13). In addition, the new viaduct was designed to accommodate connections to the SR 400 tollway (then in planning), HOV lanes, and a bridge carrying theNorth Line (then under construction, now the Red Line).^[16]

Until 2000, the state of Georgia used thesequential exit 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, GDOT switched to amileage-based exit system, in which the exit number corresponded to the nearest milepost.^[17][18]

On October 1, 2011, GDOT converted the 16-mile (26 km) HOV lanes in northern Atlanta into express/HOT lanes.^[5]

From Atlanta, I-85 north was originally slated to be built through the city ofAthens to provide an easy link between the capital city and theUniversity of Georgia. However, then-GovernorErnest Vandiver worked to make sure the highway traversed his home county ofFranklin, a stretch that now bears his name. At the time, he promised equivalent access for Athens and Gainesville.^[19] It was not until the completion ofSR 316 in the 1990s that there was finally a relatively quick, multilane expressway connecting Athens and Atlanta,^{[citation needed]} (US 78 is also multilane between Athens and Atlanta but it is not expressway-grade) although SR 316 still is largely at-grade.

On March 30, 2017, a fire started at approximately 6:15 pm in a storage area under the highway along Piedmont Road in thePiedmont Heights area ofMidtown Atlanta. This caused the collapse ofa 100-foot (30 m) section of I-85 northbound. The highway in both directions needed to be demolished and replaced. According to GDOT, the work was completed ahead of schedule. Both the north and south bound portions of the Interstate were open by May 15, 2017, a month ahead of expectations.^[20]

In May 2017, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted to accept about $6 million (equivalent to $7.53 million in 2024^[9]) in federal funds, to be used to acquire land to build a new diamond interchange on I-85 at SR 324/Gravel Springs Road between the interchanges for SR 20, and Hamilton Mill Road/Hamilton Mill Parkway.^[21] The board voted in July 2019 to accept about $20 million (equivalent to $24.1 million in 2024^[9]) in federal and state grants to pay for the construction of the new interchange. E.R. Snell Contractors was chosen to complete the work.^[22] Since an overpass already existed for SR 324, the entrance and exit ramps, deceleration lanes on I-85, traffic signals, and turn lanes were the main aspects of the interchange to be added.^[23] The main purpose of the new interchange was to provide another access point from I-85 toMall of Georgia.^[21] Construction of the interchange began in early 2018 and was completed on November 23, 2021.^[24]

County	Location	mi	km	Old exit	New exit	Destinations	Notes
Harris	​	0.00	0.00			I-85 south –Lanett,Montgomery	Continuation intoAlabama over theChattahoochee River
Troup	West Point	2.25	3.62	1	2	SR 18 –West Point,Pine Mountain
	​	6.52	10.49		6	KIA Boulevard	ToKIA Assembly Plant
	​	13.01	20.94	2	13	SR 219 –LaGrange	To Pegasus Parkway, an industrial and recreational bypass around Downtown LaGrange
	LaGrange	14.25	22.93	3	14	US 27 (SR 1) –LaGrange
		18.12	29.16	4	18	SR 109 –Greenville,Warm Springs,LaGrange
	​	19.70– 20.08	31.70– 32.32	5	21	I-185 south (SR 411) –Columbus	ToFort Benning
	Hogansville	28.35	45.62	6	28	SR 54 /SR 100 –Hogansville,Luthersville
Meriwether	No major junctions
Coweta	Grantville	35.24	56.71	7	35	US 29 (SR 14) –Grantville,Moreland
	Newnan	41.22	66.34	8	41	US 27 Alt. /US 29 –Newnan,Moreland,Greenville	ToSR 16
		44.02	70.84		44	Poplar Road	Provides direct access to Piedmont Newnan Hospital
		46.68	75.12	9	47	SR 34 –Newnan,Peachtree City, Shenandoah	To business district
	​	51.28	82.53	10	51	SR 154 (McCollum-Sharpsburg Road)
	​	56.37	90.72	11	56	Collinsworth Road –Palmetto,Tyrone
Fulton	Fairburn	61.26	98.59	12	61	SR 74 –Fairburn,Peachtree City
	Union City	64.17	103.27	13	64	SR 138 –Union City,Jonesboro
	College Park	65.86	105.99	14	66	Flat Shoals Road	ToGeorgia Military College
	​	68.77– 69.02	110.67– 111.08	15	68	I-285 (Atlanta Bypass /SR 407) –Birmingham,Chattanooga,International Terminal,Macon	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; split into I-285 north (Birmingham, Chattanooga) and I-285 east (International Terminal, Macon)
	​	69.14	111.27	16A	69A	SR 14 Conn. (South Fulton Parkway)
	College Park	69.61	112.03	16B	69B	SR 279 (Old National Highway)
		70.30	113.14	17	70	I-285 (Atlanta Bypass /SR 407) –Macon,Birmingham,Chattanooga	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; to International Terminal
Clayton	​	71.05	114.34	18	71	SR 139 (Riverdale Road) –Domestic
Fulton	College Park	72.27– 72.61	116.31– 116.85	18A	72	ToSR 6 west (Camp Creek Parkway) – Air Cargo,Domestic	ToCollege Park Transit Station
	East Point	73.72	118.64	19	73	Virginia Avenue – Air Cargo,College Park	Signed as exits 73A (east) and 73B (west) northbound
		74.03	119.14	20	74	Loop Road –International	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Hapeville	74.57	120.01	21	75	Sylvan Road / Central Avenue –Hapeville
	Atlanta	75.78	121.96	22	76	Cleveland Avenue –East Point	ToAtlanta Technical College
		76.08	122.44	23	77	US 19 /US 41 /SR 3 (Metropolitan Parkway)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		76.70	123.44	24	77	SR 166 (Langford Parkway)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
				87		I-75 south (SR 401) –International,Macon	Southern end of I-75/SR 295 concurrency along theDowntown Connector; southern terminus of SR 295; freeway uses I-75 mileposts and exit numbers; HOV lanes to and from I-75 to the south (no HOV ramps to or from I-85 to the south).
				—	—	I-75 / I-85 north (HOV lanes)	Southern terminus of HOV3+/toll lanes
		77.30	124.40	88	243	SR 166 (Langford Parkway) –East Point
		79.14	127.36	89	244	University Avenue / Pryor Street
		80.19	129.05	90	245	Abernathy Boulevard / Capitol Avenue –Georgia State Stadium	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		80.54	129.62	91	246	Fulton Street / Central Avenue –Georgia State University,Georgia State Stadium
		80.78	130.00	92	247	I-20 (Ralph D. Abernathy Freeway /SR 402) –Augusta,Birmingham
		81.00	130.36	—	—	Memorial Drive	HOV ramps for northbound exit and southbound entrance
		81.16	130.61	93	248A	ML King Jr. Drive –State Capitol,Georgia State Stadium	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		81.74	131.55	94	248B	Edgewood Avenue, Auburn Avenue, J.W. Dobbs Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		82.11	132.14	96	248C	SR 10 east (Freedom Parkway) / Andrew Young International Boulevard –Carter Center	Western terminus of SR 10
		81.97	131.92	95	248D	Jesse Hill Drive, J.W. Dobbs Avenue,Edgewood Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		82.00	131.97	—	—	Piedmont	HOV ramps for northbound exit and southbound entrance
		82.53	132.82	97	249A	Courtland Street –Georgia State University	Southbound exit only
		82.79	133.24	98	249B	Pine Street,Peachtree Street –Civic Center	Northbound exit only
		82.98	133.54	99	249C	Williams Street –World Congress Center,Mercedes-Benz Stadium,Aquarium	No northbound exit; additional HOV ramps for southbound exit and northbound entrance
				100	249D	ToUS 19 /US 29 (Spring Street / WestPeachtree Street)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		83.18	133.87	100	249D	ToUS 29 /US 78 /US 278 /SR 8 (North Avenue) –Georgia Tech	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		83.89– 84.24	135.01– 135.57	101	250	10th Street, 14th Street –Georgia Tech	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		84.58	136.12		251A	17th Street –Midtown	Northbound exit only
				26	84	17th Street, 14th Street, 10th Street	Southbound exit only, toGeorgia Tech
		84.92	136.67	27	85	I-75 north (SR 401) –Marietta,Chattanooga	Northern end of I-75/SR 295 concurrency along theDowntown Connector; southern terminus of SR 295
		85.92	138.27	28	86	SR 13 north (Buford Hwy)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southern terminus of SR 13
		86.00	138.40	—	—	Lindbergh Drive	HOV-only ramps; southbound exit and northbound entrance
		86.92– 87.68	139.88– 141.11	29	87	SR 400 north / Piedmont Avenue –Buckhead,Cumming	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; southern terminus of SR 400
		87.77	141.25	28	86	SR 400 north /SR 13 south –Buckhead,Cumming, toPeachtree Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; southern terminus of SR 400
		88.11	141.80	30	88	Cheshire Bridge Road / Lenox Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
DeKalb	Brookhaven	89.23	143.60	31	89	SR 42 (North Druid Hills Road)	ToOglethorpe University
	​	90.65	145.89	32	91	US 23 /SR 155 (Clairmont Road)	ToDeKalb-Peachtree Airport andEmory University
	Doraville	92.91	149.52	33	93	Shallowford Road –Doraville	ToBriarcliff Road
	Chamblee	94.26	151.70	34	94	Chamblee–Tucker Road,Mercer University
	​	95.46	153.63	35	95	I-285 (Atlanta Bypass /SR 407) –Augusta,Macon,Chattanooga,Birmingham	Signed as exits 95A (east, Macon, Augusta) and 95B (west, Chattanooga, Birmingham) southbound
	​	96.06	154.59	36	96	Northcrest Road / Pleasantdale Road
Gwinnett	Norcross	98.80	159.00	37	99	SR 140 west (Jimmy Carter Boulevard)	Eastern terminus of SR 140
		100.94	162.45	38	101	Indian Trail–Lilburn Road
	​	102.06	164.25	39	102	SR 378 (Beaver Ruin Road) –Lilburn
	​	103.56	166.66	39A	103	Steve Reynolds Boulevard	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	​	104.07	167.48	40	104	Pleasant Hill Road	Gwinnett Place Mall; ToRonald Reagan Parkway
	​	105.98	170.56	42	105	SR 120 –Duluth,Lawrenceville	Northbound exit only
	​			41	106	SR 316 east –Lawrenceville,Athens	No southbound exit; additional northbound exit and southbound entrance ramps for direct HOT/express lane access; western terminus of SR 316
	​	107.03	172.25	42	107	SR 120 toSR 316 east / Boggs Road –Duluth,Lawrenceville	Southbound exit only
	​	107.84	173.55		108	Sugarloaf Parkway	Southbound exit is combined with exit 109.
	​	108.96	175.35	43	109	Old Peachtree Road
	​	111.46	179.38	44	111	SR 317 north –Suwanee	Southern terminus of SR 317
	​	112.96	181.79	45	113	I-985 north (SR 365/SR 419) –Gainesville	Northbound exit and southbound entrance, toBuford Dam andLake Lanier Islands; left exit northbound; southern terminus of I-985/SR 365/SR 419
	​	115.22	185.43	46	115	SR 20 –Lawrenceville,Buford	ToMall of Georgia
	Buford	118.00	189.90	—	118	SR 324 (Gravel Springs Road)	ToMall of Georgia
	​				—	I-85 south (Express Lanes)	Northern terminus of HOV3+/toll lanes
	​	119.81	192.82	47	120	Hamilton Mill Road / Hamilton Mill Parkway
Barrow	Braselton	126.10	202.94	48	126	SR 211 –Winder
Jackson		129.37	208.20	49	129	SR 53 –Braselton,Hoschton,Winder	ToMichelin Raceway
	Jefferson	136.60	219.84	50	137	US 129 /SR 11 –Gainesville,Jefferson	ToAthens andUniversity of Georgia
		140.41	225.97	51	140	SR 82 (Dry Pond Road / Holly Springs Road)
	Commerce	146.58	235.90	52	147	SR 98 –Commerce,Maysville
Banks		149.32	240.31	53	149	US 441 /SR 15 –Commerce,Homer, Banks Crossing	ToUniversity of Georgia
	​	153.74	247.42	54	154	SR 63 (Martin Bridge Road) –Toccoa
Franklin	​	159.82	257.21	55	160	SR 51 –Homer,Franklin Springs,Royston,Elberton
	​	163.87	263.72	56	164	SR 320 –Carnesville
	​	165.91	267.01	57	166	SR 106 /SR 145 –Carnesville,Toccoa
	Lavonia	173.10	278.58	58	173	SR 17 –Lavonia,Toccoa,Elberton
Hart	Lake Hartwell	177.24	285.24	59	177	SR 77 south –Hartwell,Lake Hartwell	Northern terminus of SR 77
	​	179.13	288.28			I-85 north –Greenville,Charlotte	Continuation intoSouth Carolina over theTugaloo River andLake Hartwell
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       HOV only       Incomplete access

There are threeauxiliary Interstate Highways of I-85 within Georgia and a fourth that was proposed, and then cancelled.I-185 (SR 411) is aspur fromLaGrange toColumbus. It mainly provides afreeway between theColumbus andAtlanta metropolitan areas.I-285 (SR 407) is a heavily traveledbeltway aroundAtlanta, which helps I-75 and I-85 drivers to bypass the city.I-485 was a short freeway in Atlanta (now Freedom Parkway) that was incomplete for many years and thendecommissioned due tolocal opposition.I-985 (SR 419) is a spur from I-85 toGainesville.

• Georgia (U.S. state) portal
• U.S. roads portal

• Media related toInterstate 85 in Georgia (U.S. state) at Wikimedia Commons

Interstate 85
Previous state: Alabama	Georgia	Next state: South Carolina

• Interstate Highways in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Interstate 85
• Transportation in Harris County, Georgia
• Transportation in Troup County, Georgia
• Transportation in Meriwether County, Georgia
• Transportation in Coweta County, Georgia
• Transportation in Fulton County, Georgia
• Roads in Atlanta
• Transportation in Clayton County, Georgia
• Transportation in DeKalb County, Georgia
• Transportation in Gwinnett County, Georgia
• Transportation in Barrow County, Georgia
• Transportation in Jackson County, Georgia
• Transportation in Banks County, Georgia
• Transportation in Franklin County, Georgia
• Transportation in Hart County, Georgia
• High-occupancy toll roads

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