State Route 16 (SR 16) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

that travels west-to-east through portions of Haralson, Carroll,

Coweta Coweta is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States, a suburb of Tulsa. As of 2010, its population was 9,943. Part of the Muscogee (Creek), Creek Nation in Indian Territory before Oklahoma became a U.S. state, the town was first settled i ...

, Spalding, Butts,

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

, Putnam,

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...

, and

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

counties in the western and

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

parts of the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The highway connects the southeastern portion of Carroll County, northwest of

Mount Zion Mount Zion ( he, הַר צִיּוֹן, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; ar, جبل صهيون, ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew ...

to Warrenton, via Carrollton,

Newnan Newnan is a city in Metro Atlanta and the county seat of Coweta County, Georgia, about southwest of Atlanta. Its population was 42,549 at the 2020 census, up from 33,039 in 2010. History Newnan was established as county seat of Coweta Coun ...

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

, Eatonton, and

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

. SR 16 formerly traveled on the current path of US 278 Byp./ SR 12 Byp. in Warrenton, SR 80 and SR 17 Conn., and the entire length of SR 296 west of

Wrens Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is comm ...

, in

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and

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

counties.

Route description

SR 16 starts just south of Interstate 20 (I-20) in southwestern

Haralson County Haralson County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,919, up from 28,780 2010. The county seat is Buchanan. The county was created on January 26, 1856, and was ...

, and travels southeast into Carroll County and Carrollton, where it begins a

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 27 Alt./ SR 1. SR 16 continues through Whitesburg and crosses into

Coweta County Coweta County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of Metro Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 146,158. The county seat is Newnan. Coweta County is included in the Atlanta- ...

and through

, where its concurrency with US 27 Alt. ends, crossing

I-85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65, I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with Interstate 95, I ...

on the southeastern edge of East Newnan. Turning sharply east, the highway travels through Sharpsburg, turns slightly southeast, and travels through Senoia into Spalding County, turning back east, and traveling into

. Turning slightly northeast, SR 16 crosses

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

at the county line with Butts County and travels into and through

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

on into

in Jasper County. Continuing east, the route crosses into Putnam County, through Eatonton, then turns southeast at the county line with Hancock County, heading on into

. Turning first slightly northeast, then southeast, SR 16 continues into

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

, where it turns northeast once more and on to its eastern terminus in Warrenton. There are four portions of SR 16 that are part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense: * Approximately in Carrollton, most of it concurrent with US 27/SR 1 and SR 166 * The entire length of the concurrency with US 29/SR 14, from Newnan to south of East Newnan. * From US 19/US 41/SR 3 in Griffin east to I-75, approximately south-southeast of Locust Grove * The portion concurrent with SR 15 in Sparta

History

1920s and 1930s

SR 16 was established at least as early as 1919 on its current path from Carrollton to Warrenton. By the end of September 1921, it was extended west-southwest to the

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

state line./ By October 1926, this extension was redesignated as part of a southern segment of SR 8. Two segments of SR 16 had a "completed hard surface": a portion in the southern part of Newnan and from Griffin to just east of the

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

–Butts county line. Between October 1929 and June 1930, a portion of SR 16 west-southwest of Griffin was completed. Later in 1930, the Spalding County portion of the Sharpsburg–Griffin segment was completed. About four years later, a portion north-northwest of Newnan was completed. At the end of the next year, the Jasper County portion of the Jackson–Monticello segment was completed. During the third quarter of 1936, a portion south-southeast of Newnan was completed. About a year later, a small portion in the eastern part of Monticello was completed. At the end of the year, it was completed from Monticello to Murder Creek. Later in 1938, three segments were completed: the Newnan–Senoia segment, the Jasper County portion of Monticello–Eatonton segment, and the Sparta–Warrenton segment. By the middle of the next year, two segments were completed: the Butts County portion of the Jackson–Monticello segment and a portion in the western part of Eatonton. At the end of the year, SR 16 was extended east-northeast on SR 12 for a very short distance in Warrenton and then on a sole path southeast to SR 17 north-northeast of Stapleton.

1940s and 1950s

Between April and October 1940, SR 16 was extended south-southwest to SR 80 in Stapleton and then south-southeast to US 1/ SR 4/SR 17 north-northeast of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. All of SR 16 from the Coweta–Spalding county line to Eatonton was completed. In 1942, the Senoia–Griffin segment was completed. Between the beginning of 1945 and November 1946, two segments were hard surfaced: the Carrollton–Newnan segment and a portion northwest of Sparta. Between February 1948 and April 1949, the Putnam County portion of the Eatonton–Sparta segment was hard surfaced. By August 1950, US 27 Alt. was designated on SR 16 from Carrollton to south-southeast of Newnan. The entire Eatonton–Sparta segment of SR 16 was hard surfaced. In 1952, the path of SR 16 southeast of Warrenton was shifted southward (and slightly extended to the east-southeast to SR 17 in the northwest part of Wrens). This replaced the path of SR 16S. The former part of SR 16 from southeast of Warrenton to northwest of Wrens was redesignated as SR 16 Conn. The former part from northwest of Wrens to north of Louisville was redesignated as SR 16 Conn. Between June 1955 and July 1957, the Warrenton–Wrens segment was paved.

1970s to 1990s

In 1971, a bypass of the main part of Carrollton was proposed from SR 166 southwest of the city to SR 166 east-northeast of the city. In 1973, SR 16 was extended west-northwest to its current western terminus. In Warrenton, the path of SR 16 was shifted southward, replacing SR 16 Spur. The western part of the former route was redesignated as SR 12 Conn. Between the beginning of 1979 and March 1980, a more direct path of SR 16, designated SR 721, was proposed from the eastern part of Griffin to the interchange with I-75 west-southwest of Jackson. Later in 1980, the path of US 27 Alt./SR 16/SR 166 in Carrollton was shifted southward, out of the main part of the city, onto the previously proposed bypass. SR 16 then traveled north on a concurrency with US 27/SR 1 to its original intersection with those two highways. In 1983, the path of SR 16, from Griffin to west-southwest of Jackson, was shifted southward, replacing the proposed path of SR 721. In 1989, the eastern terminus of the highway was truncated to its current terminus in Warrenton, replacing SR 12 Conn. The path of SR 80 was shifted eastward, replacing the Warrenton–Wrens segment of SR 16. The former segment of SR 16 in Warrenton was redesignated as US 278 Byp./SR 12 Byp.

Major intersections

Special routes

Warrenton spur route

State Route 16 Spur (SR 16 Spur) was a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

of SR 16 that existed completely within the

city limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...

of Warrenton. Between June 1955 and July 1957, it was established from an

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their i ...

with SR 16 in the southwestern part of the city to another intersection with SR 16 in the southeastern part. In 1973, the path of SR 16 in the city was shifted southward, replacing all of the spur route, except for the western part. The western part of its former path was redesignated as SR 12 Conn. Between the beginning of 1984 and the beginning of 1991, SR 16 Spur was redesignated as US 278 Byp./ SR 12 Byp. This table shows the 1957–1973 intersections.

Warren County connector route (1952–1981)

State Route 16 Connector (SR 16 Conn.) was a

connector route A connector is a highway or freeway road that connects to another highway or freeway. It can be part of an interchange such as the MacArthur Maze or a longer roadway such as the Interstate 635. A connector route is a type of special route or su ...

of SR 16 that existed entirely within

. In 1952, the path of SR 16 southeast of Warrenton was shifted southward, replacing the path of SR 16S. The portion of SR 16 from southeast of Warrenton to northwest of Wrens was redesignated as SR 16 Conn., while the portion from northwest of Wrens to north of

was redesignated as SR 16 Conn. This highway traveled from SR 16 southeast of Warrenton to SR 17 about halfway between Wrens and

Thomson Thomson may refer to: Names * Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin * Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson Businesses and organizations * SGS-Thomson Mic ...

. Between June 1955 and July 1957, this highway was

paved Pavement may refer to: * Pavement (architecture), an outdoor floor or superficial surface covering * Road surface, the durable surfacing of roads and walkways ** Asphalt concrete, a common form of road surface * Sidewalk or pavement, a walkway ...

. In 1981, it was decommissioned.

Warren County connector route (1982–1989)

State Route 16 Connector (SR 16 Conn.) was a

of SR 16 that existed entirely within

. In 1982, it was established from an

with SR 16 southeast of Warrenton to an intersection with SR 17 about halfway between Wrens and

. In 1989, this highway was redesignated as SR 17 Conn.

Jefferson–Warren County connector route

State Route 16 Connector (SR 16 Conn.) was a very short-lived

of SR 16 that existed in portions of