State Route 56 (SR 56) is an

inverted question mark The inverted question mark, , and inverted exclamation mark, , are punctuation marks used to begin interrogative and exclamatory sentences or clauses in Spanish and some languages which have cultural ties with Spain, such as Asturian and Wara ...

-shaped state highway that travels south-to-north, with a western loop around Vidalia. It is and travels through portions of Tattnall, Toombs, Montgomery, Treutlen, Emanuel,

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

, and Richmond

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

and east-central 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 route connects the Reidsville and Augusta areas, via Swainsboro and Waynesboro.

Route description

SR 56 begins at an intersection with US 280/ SR 30 (West Brazell Street) in Reidsville, in Tattnall County. It travels to the west, crossing over the Ohoopee River, and enters Toombs County. A short distance after entering the county, the highway curves to the southwest. In New Branch, it intersects SR 178. In Toombs Central is US 1/ SR 4. The highway continues to the southwest, before curving to the west-northwest. Then, it crosses into Montgomery County and enters Uvalda. In Uvalda, SR 56 intersects US 221/ SR 135. South of this intersection, US 221/SR 135 run

concurrent 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 ...

toward Hazlehurst. In Uvalda, SR 135 splits off, and US 221/SR 56 travel to the north-northwest to Mt. Vernon, where they have a second intersection with US 280/SR 30 (Spring Street). After leaving town, US 221/SR 56 travel north to an intersection with the southern terminus of SR 199. West of

Tarrytown Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hu ...

, they cross into Treutlen County, before entering Soperton. In town, they turn to the northeast. In the main part of town, they intersect SR 15/ SR 29 (Main Street). At this intersection, SR 15 joins the concurrency for a short while. The three routes intersect SR 78 (Louisiana Street). Here SR 15/SR 78 head to the northwest, while SR 78 heads southeast. A short distance farther to the northeast, they intersect SR 46 (Metter Road). Just over after leaving town, they intersect the northern terminus of SR 227. Just before an interchange with

Interstate 16 Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Georgia. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for its ...

(I-16; Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway), the two highways have an intersection with SR 86. They curve to the north-northeast and enter Gillis Springs, where US 221/SR 56 intersect the southern terminus of SR 171. Here, US 221/SR 171 head to the north, while SR 56 departs to the east. Then, it curves to the north-northeast and cross over the Ohoopee River for a second time, crossing into Emanuel County. It heads north, curves to the northeast, and crosses over the Little Ohoopee River. The highway continues to the northeast and intersects US 1/ SR 4 (South Main Street), just before entering Swainsboro. There, it intersects US 80/ SR 26 (West Main Street)/ SR 57 (Kight Road). The four highways run concurrent to the northeast. At the intersection with US 1 Business/ SR 4 Business (Main Street), SR 57 splits off to the southeast, along US 1 Business/SR 4 Business south. Approximately later, SR 56 splits off to the north-northeast. It passes through Modoc and meets SR 192 in Summertown. Farther to the northeast, it crosses over the

Ogeechee River The Ogeechee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 blackwater river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It heads at the confluence of its North and Sout ...

into Burke County and Midville. In town, it intersects SR 17 (Lee Street). A few blocks later, it meets the southern terminus of SR 305 (Jones Street). Leaving town, it heads north-northeast and curves to the northeast. SR 56 passes through

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descr ...

s of the county toward Waynesboro. Just before it enters town, it intersects SR 24/ SR 80. The three routes head east-northeast into town and curve to the northeast to an intersection with US 25/ SR 121 (Liberty Street). At this intersection, SR 24 departs to the south-southeast, while SR 56/SR 80 continue through town. Just before leaving Waynesboro, they meet US 25 Bypass/ SR 121 Bypass. The two routes curve to the north-northeast, to the point where SR 56 and SR 80 split apart. SR 56 continues to the north-northeast and curves to the north-northwest. It curves back to the north-northeast and intersects the northern terminus of SR 23. Then, it curves around Southland Timber Lake, and meets the western terminus of SR 56 Spur (River Road). The highway crosses over McBean Creek into Richmond County and Augusta. It heads north and northwest, to meet the southern terminus of the now decommissioned SR 56 Spur ( Tobacco Road), which leads to

Augusta Regional Airport Augusta Regional Airport (Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field) is a city-owned public airport six miles (11 km) south of Augusta, in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. In 2000 Bush Field airport changed its name to Augusta Regio ...

. North-northwest of here is an interchange with

I-520 Interstate 520 (I-520) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway that encircles most of Augusta, Georgia, and North Augusta, South Carolina, as a three-quarter beltway around the western, southern, and eastern parts of the main part of the Augus ...

(

Bobby Jones Expressway The Bobby Jones Expressway is a roadway in the U.S. state of Georgia that is named for golfer Bobby Jones. It follows: * Georgia State Route 232's easternmost (from its intersection with SR 104 and Old Evans Road in Martinez to its eastern t ...

). The route continues to the north-northwest, and curves to the northwest, until it meets its northern terminus, a second intersection with US 25/SR 121 (Peach Orchard Road) in the southern part of Augusta. The only portion of SR 56 that is part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense, is the portion in Augusta that is north of Tobacco Road.

History

Major intersections

Special routes

Burke County spur route

State Route 56 Spur (SR 56 Spur) is a spur route that exists entirely within the northeastern part of Burke County. It is known as River Road for its entire length. It begins at an intersection with the SR 56 mainline, just southeast of

McBean McBean is a surname. People with the surname Notable people with the surname include: *Al McBean (born 1938), retired professional baseball player *Alexander McBean (1854–1937), English businessman, soldier, local Conservative politician, Freema ...

. It travels to the northeast for less than . Then, it curves to the east-southeast for most of its route. It crosses over

Boggy Gut Creek Boggy Gut Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and ...

on an unnamed bridge. Finally, it heads southeast to meet its eastern terminus, an intersection with the eastern terminus of SR 80, northeast of Shell Bluff.

Augusta spur route

State Route 56 Spur (SR 56 Spur) was a spur route of SR 56 that existed entirely within the southeastern part of

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

and the city limits of Augusta. Its west–east section was part of Tobacco Road. It was known as

Doug Barnard Parkway Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) which ...

for the rest of its length. Its southern terminus was at an intersection with the SR 56 mainline (Mike Padgett Highway), where Tobacco Road continues past the spur's terminus. It traveled east on Tobacco Road. Then, at the eastern terminus of Tobacco Road, it turned north onto Doug Barnard Parkway. This was at the main entrance to

. The highway paralleled the western edge of the airport before curving to the northwest. Then, it had an interchange with Interstate 520 (I-520;

). After a crossing over Rocky Creek, a curve to the northeast, and a crossing over Butler Creek, it had a curve to the northwest just before it met its northern terminus, an intersection with US 1/ US 25/ US 78/ US 278/ SR 10/ SR 121 (

Gordon Highway Gordon Highway is a major highway in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia, traveling through the southern part of Columbia County and the northeastern part of Richmond County. It is named after Confederate general John Brown Gordo ...

) in the central part of Augusta. Here, the roadway continues as Molly Pond Road. The highway was decommissioned in 2014.

References

{{reflist

External links

Georgia Roads (Routes 41 - 60)
056 Transportation in Tattnall County, Georgia Transportation in Toombs County, Georgia Transportation in Montgomery County, Georgia Transportation in Treutlen County, Georgia Transportation in Emanuel County, Georgia Transportation in Burke County, Georgia Transportation in Richmond County, Georgia Transportation in Augusta, Georgia