Georgia State Route 20
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by GDOT | ||||
| Length: | 175 mi (282 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Counterclockwise end: |  SR-9 at the Alabama state line in Floyd County |
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| Clockwise end: |    US 19 / US 41 / SR 3 in Hampton |
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| Highway system | ||||
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→State Route 20 is an abnormally-oriented route in roughly the shape of a capital J rotated ninety degrees to the left. Its counterclockwise terminus is at the Alabama state line in Floyd County, and its clockwise terminus occurs in the middle of an overpass over US 19/US 41 and SR 3 in Hampton in Henry County at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where it is known as Bruton Smith Parkway.
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[edit] Route description
From the Alabama state line, State Route 20 proceeds east into the city of Rome. The highway leaves Rome on the other side concurrent with US 411 until just north of Cartersville (US 41 briefly joins the concurrency near Cartersville as well), after which SR 20 continues eastward on its own. SR 20 serves such distant northern suburbs of Atlanta as Canton, Cumming, and Buford, crossing Interstates 75, 575, and 985 as well as SR 400. The road turns southeast after S.R. 400 and then south after I-985, crossing I-85 shortly thereafter. The road also has easy but congested access to S.R. 316, leading to Athens.
SR 20 continues southward through Lawrenceville and Loganville before meeting Interstate 20 in Conyers. Likely to help alleviate driver confusion due to two identically-numbered highways meeting, the highway is usually referred to at this point as S.R. 138, with which it overlaps through Conyers. S.R. 20 continues south and then southwest to the Henry County seat of McDonough, where it briefly overlaps SR 81. SR 81 departs to the north after crossing Interstate 75 at exit 218. The portion of SR 20 between the western end of the SR 81 concurrency and US 19/US 41 has recently been widened from two lanes to four, including a new southern bypass of the city of Hampton and more controlled access at US 19/US 41. The primary purpose of the widening is to facilitate the flow of traffic to and from the Atlanta Motor Speedway located near the highway's western terminus.
[edit] Directional signage
In Henry County, SR 20 is signed as an east–west route; signage changes to north–south at or near the Newton County line. The point at which signage changes to east–west again is uncertain. In Gwinnett County, SR 20 is signed as an east–west route. If one were to begin traveling the highway at the Alabama state line and continue to the end, signage would indicate travel first to the east, then to the south, then to the west - the opposite direction in which the traveler started - and vice versa in the opposite direction.
[edit] History
[edit] July 27, 2003 Holt-Dixon Accident
The road is known as the site of the July 27, 2003 wreck that killed 14-year-old Cobb County resident Sara Holt and injured her parents and several of their relatives. This incident took place between Sugar Hill and Buford and was caused by a commercial truck driver under the influence of drugs.[1] Sara's death marked the tenth teenager killed in a road accident in Gwinnett County in 2003.[2]
The accident occurred when Gary and Edith Holt and their daughter Sara were traveling to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with relatives Joseph and Pamela Dixon and their children. The truck driver, Courtney Ellis, crossed the center lane of the road and crashed head-on into the Ford Excursion, driven by Joseph Dixon, in which the two families were riding. The Excursion careened off the road and struck a tree, flipping over, and Ellis' truck ran down a ravine. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon and their two children were airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital, while Mr. and Mrs. Holt were transported to Gwinnett Medical Center; Edith Holt was severely injured and was forced to recuperate at a private hospital.
In the months following the arrest and Ellis' trial, there was a great deal of increased interest in the training and disciplinary standards of truck drivers, and a "Sara's Law" was proposed by some as a means to punish truck drivers who speed or are caught with drugs.[3] In August 2004, Ellis was convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of serious injury by vehicle for his negligence. He filed an appeal with the courts to throw out certain evidence, but the case was dismissed and the charges stayed.
[edit] Major junctions
| County | Location | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
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| Floyd |
0.00 | SR-9 |
Continues into Alabama | |
 SR 100 west |
SR 100 East joins SR 20 SR 100 West to Summerville |
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| Coosa | SR 100 east |
SR 100 East leaves SR 20 to go to Cave Spring | ||
| Rome |    US 27 / SR 1 north / SR 101 |
SR 20 joins US 27/SR 1 | ||
 SR 293 north |
SR 293 to Kingston | |||
 SR 53 |
SR 53 East to Calhoun | |||
| SR 101 |
SR 101 South to Rockmart | |||
 US 27 / US 411 / SR 1 south |
SR 20 leaves US 27/SR 1 and joins US 411 | |||
| Bartow |
Cartersville | SR 293 |
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| US 41 / SR 3 north |
US 411/SR 20 join US 41/SR 3 southbound | |||
 US 41 / SR 3 south / SR 61 |
US 411/SR 20 leave US 41/SR 3 southbound | |||
| US 411 / SR 61 north |
SR 20 East leaves US 411 northbound US 411 North to Fairmount |
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  I-75 / SR 401 |
Exit 290 (I-75) | |||
| Cherokee |
Sutallee |  SR 108 north |
SR 108 North to Waleska | |
| Canton |   SR 5 Bus. / SR 140 |
SR 20 East joins SR 140 southbound | ||
   I-575 / SR 5 / SR 417 |
Exit 16A (I-575); SR 20/140 join I-575 NB | |||
| SR 140 |
SR 140 leaves SR 20 | |||
| I-575 / SR 5 / SR 417 |
Exit 19 (I-575); SR 20 departs I-575 | |||
| Lathemtown |  SR 369 north |
SR 369 North to Gainesville | ||
| Free Home |  SR 372 |
SR 372 North to Ball Ground; SR 372 South to Alpharetta | ||
| Forsyth |
 SR 371 |
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| Cumming |  SR 306 east |
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 SR 9 north |
SR 9 South joins SR 20 SR 9 North to Dawsonville |
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| SR 9 south |
SR 9 South leaves SR 20 SR 9 South to Alpharetta |
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 US 19 / SR 400 |
Exit 14 (SR 400) | |||
| Gwinnett |
Buford |   US 23 south / SR 13 |
US 23 North joins SR 20 eastbound SR 13 North to Flowery Branch; SR 13 South to Duluth |
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  I-985 / SR 419 |
Exit 4 (I-985); US 23 North joins I-985 North, ending SR 20 concurrency | |||
 SR 324 east |
SR 324 East to Auburn | |||
  I-85 / SR 403 |
Exit 115 (I-85) | |||
| Lawrenceville |  SR 124 north |
SR 124 South joins SR 20 East SR 124 North to Braselton |
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 SR 316 |
SR 316 East to Athens; SR 316 West to Atlanta | |||
  US 29 / SR 8 |
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| SR 124 south |
SR 124 South to Snellville | |||
| Grayson |  SR 84 west |
To Snellville | ||
| Walton |
Loganville |  SR 81 north |
SR 81 South joins SR 20 eastbound SR 81 North to Winder |
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| SR 81 south |
SR 81 South leaves SR 20 eastbound SR 81 South to Covington |
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  US 78 / SR 10 |
US 78 East to Monroe; US 78 West to Snellville | |||
| Rockdale |
Conyers |  SR 138 east |
SR 138 West joins SR 20 South SR 138 East to Monroe |
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  I-20 / SR 402 |
Exit 82 (I-20) | |||
| SR 138 west |
SR 138 West leaves SR 20 South; SR 138 West to Stockbridge | |||
| Newton |
 SR 212 |
SR 212 North to Atlanta; SR 212 East to Monticello | ||
| Henry |
McDonough |  SR 155 |
SR 155 North to Decatur; SR 155 South to Griffin | |
| SR 81 south |
SR 81 North joins SR 20 West SR 81 South to Covington |
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 US 23 / SR 42 |
US 23 North to Stockbridge; US 23 South to Jackson | |||
| I-75 / SR 401 |
Exit 218 (I-75) | |||
| SR 81 west |
SR 81 West leaves SR 20 Westbound SR 81 West to Lovejoy |
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| Hampton | US 19 / US 41 / SR 3 |
Southwestern terminus US 19/41 North to Jonesboro; US 19/41 South to Griffin |
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| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/former • Incomplete access • Unopened |
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[edit] Related route
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| Location: | Cartersville - Allatoona Dam |
State Route 20 has one auxiliary route, Georgia State Route 20 Spur. This route runs from SR 20 just east of its interchange with Interstate 75 east of Cartersville south to Allatoona Dam. The route, along with nearby Allatoona Dam road, formed the two segments of State Route 294.
