Georgia: SR 515/US 76 Widening

Safety Upgrades 20 Years in the Making  

Challenge: For more than two decades locals have talked about the need to fix State Road (SR) 515 between Blairsville and Young Harris in northwest Georgia. It’s a dangerous 8.5-mile stretch built as part of the Corridor A effort authorized by Congress in 1965. Because of its outdated alignment and narrow lanes, crash and fatality rates are higher than the state average. Plans to update this rural, principal artery were first drawn up in 1999.  

Solution: With help from the federal infrastructure law, the state is finally moving forward with a three-phase plan to reconstruct this important stretch highway. In fact, it is one of the top 20 IIJA-funded road projects in the country in terms of dollar amount. The effort will take Georgia 515 from two lanes to four by adding two 12-foot lanes in each direction. The new design also includes a 32-foot grass median between oncoming traffic. For Georgians who depend on this road, a safer trip is just ahead.