State Route 96 (SR 96) 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

Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) **List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Plac ...

Crawford Crawford may refer to: Places Canada * Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia * Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario United Kingdom * Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England * Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Twiggs, and

Wilkinson Wilkinson may refer to: People * Wilkinson (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places in the United States * Wilkinson, Illinois * Wilkinson, Indiana, a town in Hancock County * Wilkinson, Minnesota * Wilkinson, Mis ...

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 west-central and

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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 travels from its western terminus at US 80/ SR 22/ SR 41/ SR 540 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

to its eastern terminus at US 441/ SR 29 south-southeast of Irwinton. The portion from Geneva to a point west of Fort Valley is part of the

Fall Line Freeway The Fall Line Freeway (FLF; also signed as State Route 540 (SR 540)) is a highway designed to span the width of the U.S. state of Georgia from Columbus at the Alabama state line to Augusta, travelling through several cities includi ...

, a long-distance route for commercial vehicles that travels from

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

to Augusta. This segment may also be included as part of the proposed eastern extension of Interstate 14 (I-14), an

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

that is currently entirely in

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ph ...

and may eventually end in Augusta.

Route description

Talbot County

SR 96 begins at 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 US 80/ SR 22/ SR 41/ SR 540 (Geneva Highway /

) in the central part of

, which is located in the south-central portion of Talbot County. At this intersection, SR 96 begins a concurrency with SR 540 and the FLF. They travel to the northeast, paralleling some

railroad tracks A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

(NS), and immediately intersect the western terminus of SR 240. They curve to the east-southeast and leave 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 Geneva. They meet a former portion of SR 96. They wind 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 descri ...

s of the county and curve to the east-southeast. SR 90 then joins the concurrency just before they cross over the NS rail line. The highways curve to the south-southeast and meet another former portion of SR 96. SR 90, SR 96, SR 540, and the FLF cross over Black Creek before curving to the east-southeast. It then enters the southwestern portion of Junction City. They intersect Old Mauk Road, which leads to the main part of the city. They curve back to the east-northeast and cross over some railroad tracks of

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

. Almost immediately, they begin a curve to the southeast. They intersect the southern terminus of Buckner Road, a former portion of SR 96. At this intersection, SR 90 departs to the south. The other highways curve to the east-southeast and enter the west-central portion of Taylor County.

Taylor County

SR 96, SR 540, and the FLF travel just north of Carl Brown Lake at a point southwest of

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

. They meet a former portion of SR 96 before intersecting the western terminus of Brown Road, which leads to the main part of the community. Then, they meet Watson Road, which also leads to the main part of Howard. Here, they enter the southern part of the community. Immediately, they curve to the southeast and then leave Howard. They curve to the east-northeast and intersect the eastern terminus of Brown Road, which is a former portion of SR 96. They skirt along the southern edge of the Fall Line Sandhills Natural Area. An intersection with the western terminus of Industry Road leads to the Fall Line Sandhills East Wildlife Management Area. They begin a curve to the south-southeast and intersect the western terminus of a former portion of SR 96. Then, they meet SR 137 (Charing Road) before they curve back to the east-southeast. Just before an intersection with the northern terminus of Payne Farm Road and the southern terminus of Tower Street, they enter the far southern part of

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

. They intersect US 19/ SR 3 (South Broad Street) before beginning a gradual curve to the northeast and leaving Butler. They curve to the east-northeast and intersect the eastern terminus of the former portion of SR 96 encountered on the western side of the city. The highways wind their way through rural areas of the country and enter the western part of

Reynolds Reynolds may refer to: Places Australia *Hundred of Reynolds, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Hundred of Reynolds (Northern Territory), a cadastral unit in the Northern Territory of Australia United States * Reynolds, Mendocino County, Calif ...

just west of an intersection with the southern terminus of Hicks Road. They travel to the east-southeast and intersect the western terminus of West William Wainwright Street, a former portion of SR 96. Just west of Sumter Street, they curve to the east. One

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

later, an intersection with Crawford Street leads to the

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

for the town. Another block later, they intersect SR 128 (Winston Street). This intersection is also the eastern terminus of the former portion of SR 96 encountered near the western end of the town. At the intersection with Collins Street, they begin a curve to the east-northeast. The highways leave Reynolds and curve back to the east-southeast. After curving to the southeast, they cross over an unnamed creek on the Ward Edwards Bridge. Then, they cross over Black Bottom Creek. After a curve back to the east-northeast, they cross over the

Flint River The Flint River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the u ...

on a bridge that is also named Ward Edwards Bridge. At this crossing, they enter the southern portion of

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford County, ...

Crawford and Peach counties

SR 96, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the east-southeast and then curve to the northeast. They travel through rural areas of the county and then on a bridge over railroad tracks of

. They begin a curve back to the east-northeast and then enter the southwestern part of Peach County. They encounter no intersections before entering the southeastern part of Crawford County. Immediately, they intersect Aldridge Street, the only intersection in this portion of Crawford County. After re-entering the southwestern portion of Peach County, they curve to the northeast and intersect the southern terminus of SR 49 Conn. Here, SR 96 splits off to the southeast, while SR 540 and the FLF take SR 49 Conn. to the north-northeast. SR 96 travels to the southeast and then curves to the due east. It slightly bends to the east-southeast and then enters the western part of Fort Valley. Just past William Drive, it curves to the east-northeast. Just past Westview Drive, it curves back to the east. At an intersection with Anderson Avenue, the highway begins a curve to the east-southeast. Then, it intersects US 341/ SR 7/ SR 49. Here, US 341/SR 7 and SR 96 begin a brief concurrency to the south-southeast. When SR 96 splits off, it travels to the southeast. Almost immediately, it crosses over some railroad tracks of Norfolk Southern Railway on the Gamaliel Hilson Memorial Overpass. Just pass this bridge is an intersection with the eastern terminus of SR 7 Conn. (Commercial Heights Parkway). At this intersection, SR 96 turns to the left and heads in an easterly direction. The highway travels through a

residential area A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...

and then leaves the main part of the city. It curves to the east-northeast and crosses over Bay Creek. After winding back to the east, it travels through the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Miami Valley The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other c ...

. It curves to the east-southeast and travels just south of Housers Millpond. It crosses over Mossy Creek and curves back to the east. It then has an interchange with Interstate 75 (I-75). It continues to the east and leaves the city limits of Fort Valley and enters the northwestern part of Houston County.

Houston, Twiggs, and Wilkinson counties

Immediately, SR 96 has an intersection with US 41/ SR 11. It curves to the northeast and enters the southern part of Warner Robins. It curves back to the east and passes Houston County High School. After leaving Warner Robins, it winds its way to the east-southeast. It has an interchange with US 129/ SR 247 (General Robert L. Scott Highway) in the far northern part of

Bonaire Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...

. The highway passes the Waterford Golf Club. It then crosses over the

Ocmulgee River The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.Twiggs County Twiggs County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,022. The county seat is Jeffersonville. The county was created on December 14, 1809, and named for American Rev ...

. SR 96 crosses over Savage Creek on the Gen. Ezekiel Wimberly Memorial Bridge. It then crosses over some railroad tracks of Norfolk Southern Railway. It curves to the east-northeast and enters Tarversville, where it intersects US 23/ US 129 Alt./ SR 87. The highway curves to the northeast. After a curve back to the east-northeast, it travels just north of Faulk Lake. It curves back to the northeast and intersects the western terminus of SR 358 (Homer Chance Highway). It curves to a northerly direction and crosses over Richland Creek before an interchange with I-16. The highway heads to the north-northeast and enters the southern part of Jeffersonville. curves back to the northeast before crossing over Turkey Creek. It has an intersection with US 80/ SR 19 and the eastern terminus of SR 18 (Magnolia Street). Here, SR 96 turns right and follows US 80/SR 19 to the southeast. Two blocks later, SR 96 splits off by turning left onto Church Street and travels to the northeast. Immediately, it crosses over some railroad tracks of CSX and passes a building housing the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. A few blocks later, it turns right onto Main Street and travels to the southeast. After curving to the east-northeast, the highway leaves the city limits of Jeffersonville. It curves to the east-southeast and enters the southwestern part of Wilkinson County. SR 96 curves to the northeast and travels through the

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...

. It then winds its way through rural areas of the county until it meets its eastern terminus, an intersection with US 441/ SR 29 at a point south-southeast of Irwinton.

National Highway System

The following portions of SR 96 are part of the National Highway System (NHS), a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense: *From its western terminus to an intersection with the western terminus of Columbus Road, west-northwest of the central part of Butler *From the eastern terminus of East Main Street, east of Butler, to the interchange with I-16, south-southeast of Jeffersonville While SR 96 between Columbus Road and East Main Street is not part of the NHS, these two streets that make up a former portion of SR 96, are.

Future

The

, which begins from Columbus along US 80/SR 22, is planned to follow SR 96 from Geneva to Fort Valley, where the freeway will then follow SR 49 and SR 49 Connector to

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

, where it will then follow to Macon on

Interstate 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 S ...

(I-75). This is also part of the route envisioned for the yet-to-be-constructed I-14 that will stretch from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

to either Georgia or

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Major intersections

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline 096 Transportation in Talbot County, Georgia Transportation in Taylor County, Georgia Transportation in Crawford County, Georgia Transportation in Peach County, Georgia Transportation in Houston County, Georgia Transportation in Twiggs County, Georgia Transportation in Wilkinson County, Georgia