Interstate 59 (I-59) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 445.23 miles (716.53 km) from Slidell, Louisiana to near Wildwood, Georgia. In the U.S. state of Georgia, I-59 travels 20.67 miles (33.27 km) from the Alabama state line south of Rising Fawn to its northern terminus at I-24 near Wildwood, entirely within Dade County in the far northwest corner of the state. Most of I-59's route passes through rural and mountainous terrain, with the only city it serves being Trenton.[4] Although the Interstate does not connect with it, I-59 parallels the older U.S. Route 11 (US 11) corridor for its remaining length with indirect access via certain interchanges. Beyond I-59's northern terminus into Tennessee, I-81 takes over its role as the parallel Interstate Highway for US 11, and is connected to I-59 via I-24, I-75, and I-40. For internal Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) purposes, I-59 carries the hidden designation of unsigned State Route 406 (SR 406).[5][6]
 Interstate 59 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-59 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by GDOT | ||||
| Length | 20.67 mi[1] (33.27 km) | |||
| Existed | August 14, 1957[2]–present | |||
| History | Completed in 1971[3] | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-59 at the Alabama state line south of Rising Fawn | |||
 SR 136 in Trenton | ||||
| North end |  I-24 near Wildwood | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Georgia | |||
| Counties | Dade | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
Of the four states which I-59 traverses, the segment in Georgia is the second-shortest, behind the Louisiana segment. First signed into the system in 1957, the original segment of I-59 to be added into Georgia was an 8.1-mile (13.0 km) segment from the Alabama state line to Trenton, opened in 1968. The second and final segment with a length of 11.8 miles (19.0 km), connecting Trenton to I-24, was finished in 1971, filling the rest of the route in.
Route description
editLike all other Interstate, U.S., and state highways in Georgia, I-59 is a part of the National Highway System for its entire length in the state.[7] The Interstate carries one of the lowest amounts of annual average daily traffic, with the highest amount in 2023 being approximately 22,100 vehicles at the I-24 interchange.[8] The lowest amount was approximately 15,200 vehicles near the Alabama state line.[8]
I-59 enters Dade County, Georgia, from DeKalb County, Alabama, into the Eastern Time Zone. From here, it becomes parallel with US 11. Unusually, I-59 does not have a rest area for travelers coming into the state compared to other Interstates.[9] Skirting along the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, I-59 makes a gradual curve to the north and runs along the slopes of Fox Mountain. It then curves slightly northwest and reaches its first interchange with Deer Head Cove Road at milepost 4, providing access to Rising Fawn and a small sprinkle of development. Turning back north and then to the northeast, I-59 crosses the Crawfish Creek before curving slightly northeast and then north again. The Interstate passes the Southeast Lineman Training Center as it enters the city of Trenton. Entering small amounts of development again, I-59 reaches its next interchange with SR 136 (White Oak Gap Road) for downtown Trenton as well as access to the welcome center and Cloudland Canyon State Park.[10][11] The Interstate bypasses Trenton to the west and immediately crosses Town Creek leaving the interchange.[12][13]
From here, I-59 turns northeast again, leaving Trenton and entering rural areas once more. It makes a brief curve north and slightly descends the incline. It crosses two streams in brief succession before turning northeast once again, curving along the slopes of Sand Mountain, and reaching its final interchange with Slygo Road and the unincorporated community of New England at a diamond interchange. Continuing in the northeast direction, I-59 approaches Slygo Valley, paralleling Slygo Road to the east of it for a couple more miles whilst passing underneath Dugan Loop Road. Before long, I-59 slowly descends once again into the bottom of Raccoon Mountain and the foothills of Lookout Mountain where it reaches its northern terminus at a full wye interchange with I-24, approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee.[12][13]
History
editI-59 was part of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the program which designated the Interstate Highways around the nation. Its proposed route was to run roughly the same as it is today, from the Alabama state line to Trenton.[2] On January 17, 1963, the federal government would pay approximately $94 million of the costs launched in the Highway Act by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to link all of the cities in the nation with Interstate Highways. Of these projects, one of them included the stretch of I-59 from the Alabama state line to Trenton, at a distance of approximately 11.38 miles (18.31 km) was under construction. This stretch had a cost of approximately $6.3 million and an estimated completion date of two years later.[14]
On December 22, 1967, GDOT announced that a contract would be let on February 9, 1968, to complete I-59 through the state. This contract would provide construction of 11.38 miles (18.31 km) of grading, drainage, and bridges along I-59. Emory C. Parrish, executive assistant to the director, said that the project would be the last link to I-59, part of the route from Birmingham, Alabama, to Chattanooga. The route was not considered important, but due to the Bureau of Public Roads persuading them, it was required to be built. The project had an estimated cost of approximately $9.8 million.[15] On September 10, 1968, the interchange with I-24, where I-59 would end, was completed. Also, an 8.1-mile (13.0 km) section of I-59 was opened to traffic from the SR 143 (now SR 136) interchange to I-24, raising the number of miles in Georgia's Interstate system to 612 miles (985 km) that were open to traffic.[16] On May 21, 1970, the State Highway Department announced that bids for an estimated amount of $18.1 in construction would be let on May 29. Of these bids, $11.3 million was also scheduled to include the last section of I-59.[17] On October 25, 1971, the State Highway Department announced that the last 11.8-mile (19.0 km) section of the Interstate Highway through Dade County was finished and opened to traffic, completing the Georgia segment of I-59 as a whole.[18]
Exit list
editThe entire route is in Dade County.
| Location | mi[19] | km | Old exit | New exit | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 0.00 | 0.00 |  I-59 south – Gadsden, Birmingham | Continuation into Alabama; southern end of unsigned SR 406 concurrency | |||
| | 4.1 | 6.6 | 1 | 4 | Rising Fawn | Access via Deer Head Cove Road | |
| Trenton | 11.5 | 18.5 | 2 | 11 | SR 136 (White Oak Gap Road) – Trenton | To the Georgia Welcome Center and to the Cloudland Canyon State Park | |
| | 17.3 | 27.8 | 3 | 17 | Slygo Road – New England | ||
| | 19.5 | 31.4 | 4 | – | I-24 – Nashville, Chattanooga | Northern terminus; full wye interchange; northern end of unsigned SR 406 concurrency; old exit 4 was I-24 west; I-24 exit 167 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||||
References
edit- ^ "Route Log and Finder List - Interstate System: Table 1". FHWA. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ a b Public Roads Administration (August 14, 1957). Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). Washington, DC: Public Roads Administration. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ Stephens, Gene (October 25, 1971). "Georgia Pushes to Finish Interstates by 1978". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta. p. 8. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Georgia Department of Transportation. "Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Transportation Data Interstate Mileage Report - 2020" (PDF). www.dot.ga.gov. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ Georgia Department of Transportation (April 27, 2017). "ROAD NAMES AT EXITS ON GEORGIA INTERSTATES, FREEWAYS, AND EXPRESSWAYS" (PDF). www.dot.ga.gov. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ Georgia Department of Transportation. "GEORGIA INTERSTATES AND STATE ROUTES CONVERSION" (PDF). www.dot.ga.gov. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ "Roadways". Location Georgia. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ a b "Traffic Counts". gdottrafficdata.drakewell.com. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "Georgia Rest Areas & Welcome Center Locations - GDOT". www.dot.ga.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "Alliance for Dade Regional Welcome Center". Explore Georgia. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "Dade County". www.georgiaencyclopedia.org. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Overview map of I-59 in Georgia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Georgia Department of Transportation. "Dade County" (PDF). www.dot.ga.gov. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ "Highway Program Due $104 Million In Sanders Administration Budget". The Columbus Ledger. January 17, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "I-59 Link in Dade Up for Contract". The Atlanta Constitution. December 22, 1967. p. 25. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ United Press International (September 12, 1968). "Federal Freeze to Delay Funds for Georgia Highways". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 18. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State Construction Bids Open May 29". Ledger-Enquirer. May 21, 1970. p. 29. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Georgia Pushes to Finish Interstates by 1978". The Atlanta Constitution. October 25, 1971. p. 8. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "I-59" (PDF). October 27, 2016.
