Interstate 185 Georgia

Overview

Interstate 185 in Georgia is a 49 mile long freeway that links Columbus and Fort Moore with I-85 at LaGrange. The route doubles as unsigned Georgia State Route 411, with the southernmost ten miles comprising an urban route with six lane sections, and the remainder north across Harris and Troup Counties as a four lane rural freeway.

Lindsey Creek Parkway extends south from I-185 as a freeway into Fort Moore, with three additional interchanges. The route is restricted to military traffic south of U.S. 27-280/SR 520 (Victory Drive).

The Georgia State Transportation Board designated 39 miles of I-185, from Exit 12 northward to Interstate 85, as a "Scenic Byway" on October 18, 2007.¹ Within Harris County in November 1997, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) named Interstate 185 as the "Chet Atkins Parkway", in honor of the legendary country guitarist who lived in the area during his teenage years.

The north end of Interstate 185 includes provisions for an extension. Plans in 1995 involved constructing a five-mile bypass route for U.S. 27, between I-85 and eastern reaches of West Point Lake. $70 million in highway improvements scheduled for the LaGrange area in 1999 included building the bypass and redesigning the exchange between I-85 and I-185 at a cost of $17.7 million.² Those plans never moved forward however and by 2007, GDOT indicated that the LaGrange Bypass no longer had a projected date.³

Efforts from Albany business and government leaders in 2006 involved lobbying GDOT for an extension of Interstate 185 south from Fort Moore to Monticello, Florida by way of Albany. Benefits cited included the generation of jobs and economic growth for southwest Georgia in addition to traffic relief on Interstate 75. The suggested corridor utilized SR 520 (Corridor Z) south from Columbus to Albany, and U.S. 19 from there to Camilla, Pelham, Thomasville and Interstate 10, south of Monticello.^4,5

Fort Benning was renamed to Fort Moore by the U.S. Army as part of a national effort to remove references of the Confederate States of America. A ceremony rededicating the Army training base for Lt. General Harold "Hal" G. Moore, Jr.. and Julia "Julie" Moore took place at Doughboy Stadium near Columbus on May 11, 2023.⁶ Signs showing Fort Benning for Interstate 185 were amended to display Fort Moore by July 2023.

Mileage by State

Georgia

49.30 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

History

Designated by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on June 23, 1969, Interstate 185 was constructed between September 1964 and February 1981.^7,8 The route was formally extended southward from SR 22 to U.S. 27 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on December 7, 1984 over what was previously signed as just State Route 411.

$60 million in construction upgraded a 2.3 mile long stretch of Interstate 185 north from U.S. 27-280/SR 520 (Victory Drive) to St. Marys Road / Exit 3. The six lane expansion project ran from 2007 to July 2011.⁹ Freeway widening was underway in conjunction with a $17.6 million contract to replace the loop ramp from Victory Drive east to I-185 north with a two lane directional ramp.¹⁰

An additional $6.8 million in enhancements at the south end of I-185 redesigned the directional cloverleaf interchange with aesthetic improvements including four towering monuments, 20 water fountains and twenty 50 foot high flag poles that are illuminated at night. The monuments represent the Infantry and Armor Schools at the Maneuver Center of Excellence located in Fort Moore. Statues adorning the tops of the 50 foot towers include two American eagles, the Follow Me Soldier and the Trooper on the Plains. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the completed project was held at the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center on October 13, 2011.¹⁰ An aerial photograph of the improved interchange graced the cover of the 2013-14 Georgia Official Highway and Transportation Map.

North End  ‐ LaGrange, GA

North at

The first guide sign for Interstate 85 appears along I-185 north at Long Cane Creek. 07/29/22

South at

Interstate 85 spans Beech Creek ahead of a weigh station along the two miles preceding Exit 21 for I-185 south. 12/31/12

North at

The two mile sign for Interstate 185 precedes the diamond interchange (Exit 18) with SR 109 on the east side of LaGrange. 07/27/22

North End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

North at

The previous first sign for I-85 on I-185 north was posted 1.75 miles out instead of two. 09/28/10

at

The guide sign posted a quarter mile from I-185 on I-85 northbound was replaced with a new assembly preceding Exit 21 by a half mile. 04/13/12

South End  / Lindsey Creek Par ‐ Fort Moore, GA

South at

The south end of Interstate 185 partitions traffic at a directional cloverleaf interchange (Exits 1 A/B) for U.S. 27-280/SR 520 (Victory Drive) and Lindsey Creek Parkway south into Fort Moore. 07/27/22

South East at

U.S. 27/280-SR 520 (Victory Drive) head southeast through Columbus to run alongside the north boundary of Fort Moore to the exchange with Interstate 185. 01/01/24

North East at

U.S. 27 north / U.S. 280-SR 520 west follow a controlled access route through Fort Moore to Interstate 185 in the city of Columbus. 07/25/22

Lindsey Creek Parkway – North at

Lindsey Creek Parkway navigates through an S-curve from Fort Moore ahead of Exit 1 A for U.S. 27-280/SR 520 east to Cusseta and Albany. 07/27/22

South End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

at

Cardinal direction based suffixes at the south end of I-185 where changed as part of the statewide Interstate exit renumbering program started in 1999. 10/15/99

at

Former guide sign posted along U.S. 27 south / U.S. 280 (Victory Drive) east, one half mile ahead of the previous full cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 185. 08/22/03

References

1. "'Scenic Byway' created off I-185." Times-Herald, The (Newnan, GA), October 21, 2007.
2. "Will Bypass Lead LaGrange Down The Right Road? - City Officials Worry About Losing Business To Proposed U.S. 27 Bypass New Highway Would Also Affect Columbus Drivers Using I-85/I-185 Interchange." Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA), September 5, 1999.
3. "City mulls DOT plans." LaGrange Daily News (GA), February 11, 2007.
4. "How would you like to take I-185 from LaGrange to Florida?." Times-Herald, The (Newnan, GA), November 30, 2006.
5. "Albany leaders campaign for an interstate highway." WALB 10 News, November 28, 2006.
6. "Georgia's Fort Benning renamed Fort Moore." ABC News, May 11, 2023.
7. "Would Four Lanes Drive Away Rural Lifestyle?, Supporters of Widening Georgia 85 Say it would Promote Safety, Business, but some along Road are Skeptical." Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, September 18, 1994.
8. "Happy Birthday to the open road." Gwinnett Daily Post (Lawrenceville, GA), June 25, 2006.
9. "I-185 construction : After years, end is in sight." Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA), June 15, 2011.
10. "DOT Awards $69M in Contracts for I-185 - Columbus and Fortson Firms Win Project Bids." Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA), June 16, 2007.
11. "Fort Benning completes $6.8 million gateway project; ribbon cutting today." Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA), October 13, 2011.