Georgia State Route 121 (SR 121) 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 ...

between Charlton County and Augusta. It is part of a three-state multistate route beginning in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and ending in

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 = ...

Route description

SR 121 begins in

rural 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 describ ...

Charlton County at the

state line near the southernmost point in the state. Here, the roadway continues as State Road 121. From the state line, it travels to the north,

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 ...

with SR 23. This segment of the route is called the Okefenokee Parkway. After passing through

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

, it has a concurrency with US 1/ US 23/ US 301/ SR 4/ SR 15 in Folkston. Shortly afterwards, US 301/SR 23 split from the other routes, while US 1/US 23/SR 4/SR 15/SR 121 stay concurrent until Racepond, where US 1/US 23/SR 4 continue to the northwest while SR 15/SR 121 branch off to the northeast. In

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,69 ...

, the routes intersect with US 82/ SR 520. In Blackshear is an intersection with US 84/ SR 38. North of this intersection, SR 15 splits off to the northwest, while SR 121 heads to the northeast again. The road has a brief concurrency with SR 203 shortly afterwards. In Surrency, the road intersects US 341/ SR 27. Later, SR 169, and then SR 144 form brief concurrencies with the road. A short time later, the route is reunited with SR 23/ SR 57 and becomes concurrent with one of these two routes once again. In Reidsville, the route intersects US 280/ SR 30. In Cobbtown, SR 57 splits off. Just south of Metter is 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), specifically Exit 104. Within Metter itself, SR 23 splits off. North of Metter, US 80/ SR 26 intersect with the road. North of that junction, SR 121 begins a concurrency with US 25/ SR 67. SR 23 joins the concurrency shortly afterward. In Millen, SR 23/SR 67 split off. SR 24 briefly joins the concurrency in Waynesboro. In Augusta, SR 121 travels concurrently with US 1/US 25/US 78/US 278/SR 10 along

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 Gordon ...

and serves as a major road. At the

state line, SR 10 end, while US 1/US 25/US 78/US 278/SR 121 continue, concurrent with

South Carolina Highway 121 South Carolina Highway 121 (SC 121) is a major state highway that travels north and south in central parts of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway is actually part of a long multi-state highway that also exists in Florida and G ...

Woodpecker Trail

In 2004, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

of the state of Georgia passed legislation designating SR 121 as the Woodpecker Trail Highway from the Florida state line to the South Carolina state line and was signed into law by Governor

Sonny Perdue George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as t ...

on May 17, 2004. On September 19, 2005, Governor Perdue and others officially dedicated the Woodpecker Trail Highway in Augusta. A newly designed Woodpecker Trail logo was imprinted onto highway signs which have been placed along the trail at key highway junction points. The origin of the trail's name dates back to the 1920s when it was listed by

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

, and, in the 1940s, highway signs using

Walter Lantz Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animation Lantz ...

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by Lan ...

character marked the highway but eventually fell out of use. Of course, it was in use before then, maybe as early as 1915 by Native Americans, horse-drawn buggies, and the first horseless carriages. While the highway continues into Florida and South Carolina as State Road 121, efforts to continue the Woodpecker Trail designation and signage in those states have been unsuccessful.

Major intersections

Special routes

Charlton County spur route

State Route 121 Spur (SR 121 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 121 that existed in the central part of Charlton County, on the eastern side of the

Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee ...

. In 1952, an unnumbered road was established from Camp Cornelia east to SR 23 south-southwest of Folkston. Between June 1960 and June 1963, SR 121 was extended on SR 23. In 1976, this road was designated as SR 121 Spur. In 1993, the spur route was decommissioned.

Waynesboro bypass route

State Route 121 Bypass (SR 121 Byp.) is a bypass around most of Waynesboro. It is

with U.S. Route 25 Bypass (US 25 Byp.) for its entire length.

References

External links