Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west

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. T ...

located entirely within the US 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 t ...

. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for its entire length. I-16 travels from downtown Macon, at an interchange with

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 ...

and SR 540 to downtown Savannah at Montgomery Street (exit 167B). It also passes through or near the communities of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

Metter Metter is a city in Candler County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,130 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Candler County. History Metter was founded in 1889. In 1914, Metter was designated seat of the newly formed C ...

, and Pooler. I-16's unsigned designation of SR 404 has a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

that is signed in Savannah. The westernmost segment in Macon is part of the Fall Line Freeway, a highway that connects

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 ...

and Augusta. This segment may also be incorporated into the proposed eastern extension of I-14, which is currently entirely within Central Texas and may be extended to Augusta. All of I-16 is included as part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense.

Route description

Bibb County

I-16 begins at an interchange with

/ SR 540, just northwest of downtown Macon, in Bibb County. Here, 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 SR 540. The Interstate and SR 540 proceed southeast, traveling just east of the downtown area. They cross over the Ocmulgee River and then have an interchange with US 23/ US 129/ SR 49 (Spring Street/North Avenue). Then, they have a partial interchange with SR 22 (2nd Street) that is only accessible from the westbound lanes. Almost immediately is an interchange with US 80/ SR 87 (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/Coliseum Drive). At this intersection, SR 540 departs the concurrency to the north-northeast. Within the eastern part of this interchange, the highway travels under a

railroad bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

that carries railroad tracks of

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 (3 ...

. In the east-central part of Macon, I-16 travels through Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park but without direct access. Visitors need to first exit at the US 80/SR 87 exit. On the southern edge of the national monument, it crosses over

Walnut Creek A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

. It then travels on a bridge over some railroad tracks of CSX and Boggy Branch. After leaving Macon, I-16 curves to the south-southeast and has an interchange with US 23/ U.S. Route 129 Alternate (US 129 Alt.)/SR 87 (Ocmulgee East Boulevard). In the interchange, the highway crosses over Swift Creek. It crosses over Stone Creek before entering Twiggs County.

Twiggs, Bleckley, and Laurens counties

I-16 curves back to the southeast and has an interchange with Sgoda Road. It crosses over Flat Creek and then has an interchange with Jeffersonville and Bullard roads. It curves to the east-southeast and crosses over Savage and Turvin creeks. It then curves back to the southeast. The highway has an interchange with SR 96. Almost immediately, it crosses over Richland Creek. It then has an interchange with SR 358. I-16 curves to the east-southeast and enters Bleckley County just before it has an interchange with SR 112 just south of Allentown. It then crosses over Rocky Creek just before entering Laurens County. The Interstate curves back to the southeast and crosses under SR 278 before it travels south of Montrose. It crosses over Bay Branch just before an interchange with SR 26. It then enters the southwestern part of Dudley. There, it has an interchange with SR 338. I-16 curves back to the east-southeast and crosses over Little Rocky Creek just before a

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...

. Just to the west-northwest of a crossing of Turkey Creek, the westbound lanes have a rest area. These two rest areas are the only ones along the entire length of I-16. On the southwestern edge of

, the highway has an interchange with SR 257. On the southern edge of the city are interchanges with US 319/ US 441/ SR 31 and SR 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive). It then crosses over the

Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it join ...

. It has an interchange with SR 199 (Old River Road) just before a crossing of Pughes Creek. Southeast of that is a crossing of Red Hill Creek. Just south of Rockledge, the highway crosses over Mercer Creek. On the eastern edge of the creek, it enters

Treutlen County Treutlen County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,885. The county seat is Soperton. It is host to the Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival which occur ...

Treutlen County

I-16 curves to the east-northeast and crosses over some railroad tracks of CSX before an interchange with SR 29. It immediately curves back to the east-southeast. It crosses over Red Bluff Creek. Then is an interchange with SR 15/ SR 78. The highway travels south of Sand Hill Lake before curving to the east-northeast. It crosses over Pendleton Creek and travels under a bridge that carries SR 86. Then, it begins to curve to the southeast. It has an interchange with US 221/ SR 56. It crosses over Reedy Creek and curves to the east-southeast. It has an interchange with SR 297. At the overpass for SR 297, the highway enters

Emanuel County Emanuel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,768. The county seat is Swainsboro. History The county was created on December 10, 1812, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly fr ...

Emanuel County

After the SR 297 interchange, I-16 heads more to the southeast. It curves to a nearly due east direction and crosses over the

Ohoopee River The Ohoopee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 21, 2011 river in east-central Georgia in the United States. It is a tributary of the Altamaha River, w ...

. Just after crossing over some railroad tracks of Norfolk Southern Railway, it enters 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 li ...

of Oak Park. It curves to the southeast and has an interchange with US 1/ SR 4/ SR 46. After this interchange, the highway begins to parallel SR 46. It curves to the east-southeast and crosses over Jacks Creek. Then, it enters Candler County.

Candler County

I-16 has an interchange with SR 57 (Aline Road). It crosses over Wolfe Creek and then heads to the east-northeast. It crosses over the

Canoochee River The Canoochee River (pronounced ''kuh-NOO-chee'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 river in southeastern Georgia in the United States. It is a tributa ...

and curves to a nearly due east direction. It crosses over Sams Creek before entering

. As soon as it enters Metter, it passes the Metter Municipal Airport. Right after the airport is an interchange with SR 23/ SR 121. On the southeastern edge of Metter, I-16 travels under a bridge that carries SR 129. It crosses over 15 Mile Creek and then curves to the southeast. It crosses over Tenmile Creek and has an interchange with Pulaski–Excelsior Road just before entering Bulloch County.

Bulloch County

The Interstate curves to the east-southeast and has an interchange with US 25/ US 301/ SR 73 and SR 555 ( Savannah River Parkway). Then, it crosses over Lotts and Little Lotts creeks. It then travels northeast of Nevils. It briefly curves to the east-southeast, where it has an interchange with SR 67, and then curves back to the southeast. It crosses over DeLoach Branch and then curves to the east-southeast. It crosses over Luke Branch and then Boggy Branch before curving to a nearly due east direction. It has an interchange with Ash Branch Church Road. After a crossing of Ash Branch, the highway curves to the east-southeast. It has an interchange with SR 119 just before entering Bryan County.

Bryan, Effingham, and Chatham counties

Almost immediately, the highway crosses over Black Creek. It then curves to the southeast and has an interchange with US 280/ SR 30 southwest of Blitchton. It crosses over some railroad tracks of CSX and then crosses over the Ogeechee River, which marks the Effingham County line. It has an interchange with Old River Road south of Meldrim and then enters Chatham County. The first city in the county that I-16 enters is Bloomingdale. There, it has an interchange with SR 17 Conn. (Bloomingdale Road) and the future western terminus of Jimmy DeLoach Parkway. It crosses over the Little Ogeechee River. It very briefly travels along the Bloomingdale– Pooler city line before entering Pooler proper. It has an interchange with Pooler Parkway. It crosses over the Savannah–Ogeechee Canal just before an interchange with I-95. Here, I-16 begins traveling along the southern edge of the city limits of Pooler. Right after the I-95 interchange, the highway crosses over the Hardin Canal. At an interchange with SR 307 (Dean Forest Road), I-16 begins traveling along the

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

– Garden City line. It briefly enters the city limits of Savannah before traveling along the Savannah–Garden City line again. It has an interchange with the Chatham Parkway. It then reenters Savannah and curves to the east-southeast. It crosses over some railroad tracks of CSX just before an interchange with I-516/ US 17/ US 80/ SR 21/ SR 25/ SR 26 (W.F. Lynes Parkway). Here, US 17 begins a

with I-16. It crosses over the Springfield Canal just before a partial interchange with the former eastern terminus of SR 204 (West 37th Street). This interchange is only accessible from the eastbound lanes. I-16/US 17 curves to the northeast. At the next interchange, US 17 splits off, where State Route 404 Spur (SR 404 Spur) begins. This interchange also provides access to Gwinnett Street. The highway has an interchange with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The westbound access for this highway is at the eastern terminus. I-16 curves to the north-northeast and reaches its eastern terminus, an interchange with Montgomery Street in downtown Savannah. The construction of this interrupted sections of Berrien Street, West

Jones Street Jones Street is a street located in Greenwich Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from Bleecker Street and West 4th Street. Jones Street is often confused with Great Jones Street in NoHo, located a little more than a ...

, and West Charlton Street.

Miscellaneous notes

I-16 serves as a hurricane evacuation route for Savannah and other coastal areas. The road is designed for contraflow travel with

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

-type gates to block most entrance and exit ramps for the normally eastbound lanes. During hurricane evacuation, I-16 is converted into westbound traffic from Savannah to west of US 441 in Dublin (exit 51), a total of .

History

The first part of I-16 opened October 11, 1966, to traffic between US 319 (exit 51) in Dublin to SR 29 (exit 67) near Rockledge. In 1968, the segment between US 280 to downtown Savannah was completed and opened. By the early 1970s, I-16 was completed from downtown Macon at I-75 to Jeffersonville Road near Danville. It was also extended from Dublin to Allentown. In 1973, the connection between Macon to Dublin was completed. The last part of the I-16 opened on September 22, 1978, placing it in Emanuel, Candler, and Bulloch counties and completing the connection between downtown Macon and Savannah. Until 2000, the state of Georgia used the sequential interchange numbering system on all of its Interstate Highways. The first exit on each highway would begin with the number "1" and increase numerically with each exit. In 2000, the Georgia Department of Transportation switched to a mileage-based exit system, in which the exit number corresponded to the nearest milepost. In 2001, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

passed a resolution to designate the Earl T. Shinhoster Interchange at the interchange with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Savannah in honor of

Earl Shinhoster Earl Theodore Shinhoster (July 5, 1950 – June 11, 2000) was a Black civil rights activist in Savannah, Georgia. Shinhoster was born in Savannah in 1950 to Nadine and Willie Shinhoster, he was an alumnus of Morehouse College and Cleveland State ...

, who was a

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

activist. This interchange is located in the economic and cultural center for Black Savannah. In 2003, the

passed a resolution to designate I-16 in honor of James L. Gillis Sr., a Democrat who served as a state representative, state senator, and director of the

Georgia Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developi ...

, as the Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway. Gillis's sons, Hugh and James Jr., also served as

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

state legislators. Hugh was a state representative from 1941 to 1953 and a state senator from 1953 to 1955 and from 1963 to 2005. James Jr. was a state senator from 1945 to 1946. Missing bridge over I-16

In 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit Georgia's coast. As a result, the eastbound I-16 lanes from Savannah to US 1 (exit 90) were opened to westbound traffic. This marked the first time I-16 was turned into a one-way Interstate. This contraflow traffic method has been used since, including in 2016 in evacuation efforts from Hurricane Matthew and 2017 for

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Ma ...

. On July 15, 2021, a truck, with its dump trailer raised, struck the overpass bridge of SR 86 near exit 78, causing the bridge deck to shift . While no injuries were reported, the resulting damage prompted GDOT to close both directions of I-16 from exit 71 to exit 78 while the damaged bridge was being demolished. Both directions of I-16 were reopened within 48 hours of the incident. The reconstructed overpass was opened to traffic in late July 2022.

Future

I-95 interchange

Due to high congestion during rush hour in Savannah and many deadly car accidents, the

(GDOT) has undertaken a new construction project at the interchange of I-95 and I-16 (exit 157 on I-16), along with other I-16 improvements. The project includes: * The widening of I-16 from two lanes in each direction to three lanes between the junctions with I-95 and I-516 (exit 164). * The construction of a turbine interchange (whirlpool interchange) at the junction of I-16 and I-95, in which two existing loop ramps, from I-16 westbound to I-95 southbound, and from I-95 southbound to I-16 eastbound, will be replaced with turbine configuration ramps. * The construction of a two-lane emergency median cross-over for westbound I-16 traffic between Dean Forest Road/SR 307 (exit 160) and I-95, to be used to assist in hurricane evacuations from Savannah. * The creation of a collector–distributor road on I-95 northbound to separate through traffic from cars exiting onto and entering from I-16. * The reconstruction of six bridges, replacement of four bridges, and the construction of three new bridges near the area. * The addition of new interchange lighting and Intelligent Transportation System technology to provide real-time driving conditions to travelers. The project, upon completion, is expected to result in a 32% decrease in I-16 congestion by 2030. Despite concerns from residents, no new noise barriers will be built along I-16 during the construction. A noise study concluded that barriers would not be necessary since traffic noise were not predicted to be over 66 dB(A). The project is expected to cost around $295 million. Construction, which will be completed by Savannah Mobility Contractors JV, will begin in the second half of 2019 and will be completed in 2022.

I-75 interchange

The interchange of

and I-16 is also undergoing construction, split into six phases, with the first three phases being worked on simultaneously and set to be completed by the end of 2021: * Phase 1: A collector–distributor road is being built on I-16 eastbound between the I-75 junction and Spring Street (exit 1A), including new bridges over the Ocmulgee River and Spring Street. The Spring Street loop ramp has been temporarily closed and replaced with a temporary left turn onto I-16 westbound. Also, the bridge over the Ocmulgee River on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is being reconstructed and widened in this phase. * Phase 2: Construction includes improvements on I-75 between Hardeman Avenue (exit 164) and I-16 (exit 165) and the shifting of exit ramps from I-75 in each direction to I-16. Later in this phase, access to Spring Street for traffic coming from southbound I-75 via I-16 will be temporarily closed to allow for completion of the collector–distributor system. * Phase 3: A new collector–distributor road is being built along I-75 north through the I-16 interchange, along with a new westbound collector–distributor road from Spring Street along I-16 over the Ocmulgee River and portions of other ramps. Construction on Phase 1 is being completed by C.W. Matthews at a cost of $63 million, while construction on Phase 2 and Phase 3 is being completed by E.R. Snell Company for $156 million. Three additional phases are included in the project, which ultimately are intended to help improve access to and from downtown Macon and Gray Highway via the currently-underutilized Second Street bridge, reducing congestion on Spring Street and North Avenue: * Phase 4: Bids for a construction contract are scheduled to occur in 2021. Second Street will be widened and ramps from and to eastbound I-16 will be constructed. Construction from Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be completed, along with the collector–distributor road through the I-75 interchange along eastbound I-16 to the Coliseum Drive/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard exit. Access from I-75 southbound via I-16 to Spring Street will be reopened at the conclusion of this phase. * Phase 5: Bids for a construction contract are scheduled to occur in 2021. During this phase, the Spring Street loop ramp will be reopened and the temporary left turn lane on northbound Spring Street to I-16 westbound will be closed permanently. Also, Phase 3 construction will be completed, and a connection to the north-to-east ramp from Phase 2 will be built. This phase also includes the completion of the westbound collector–distributor road from Phase 3, along with a new ramp from Second Street to westbound I-16. * Phase 6: Bids for a construction contract are scheduled to occur in 2023. A tunnel will be built for the Norfolk Southern Railroad under I-75. All remaining construction will be completed in this phase. Also as a part of this project, GDOT has spent $12 million in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood to help mitigate the effect of the construction and new highway ramps. The construction, which was completed in the summer of 2018, included the creation of two new parks and the transformation of Penniman House, the childhood home of musician Little Richard, into a community resource center.

Effect of construction on Port of Savannah traffic

According to GDOT, with the expansion of I-16 at its interchanges with I-75, I-95, and I-516, the estimated increase in gross state product (GSP) would be $9.1 million at a cost of $1.95 million. In addition, employment would increase annually by 2,426, and the

return on investment Return on investment (ROI) or return on costs (ROC) is a ratio between net income (over a period) and investment (costs resulting from an investment of some resources at a point in time). A high ROI means the investment's gains compare favourably ...

(ROI) would be 4.7.

Exit list

Auxiliary routes

Spur route

State Route 404 Spur (SR 404 Spur) is 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 ...

that travels from I-16 exit 166 northward along US 17 to the

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 = G ...

state line. As its number suggests, it is a spur from SR 404, the

unsigned route Road sign along Utah State Route 24">SR 24, the highway at the other end of the connector. An unsigned highway is a highway that has been assigned a route number, but does not bear road markings that would conventionally be used to identify the ...

that is designated along the full length of I-16. However, SR 404 Spur is actually a signed highway. Near the northern end is the

Talmadge Memorial Bridge The Talmadge Memorial Bridge is a bridge in the United States spanning the Savannah River between downtown Savannah, Georgia, and Hutchinson Island. It carries US 17/ SR 404 Spur. The original bridge was built in 1953; a replace ...

Interstate 516

Interstate 516 (I-516) is a

auxiliary route In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the ...

from SR 21 (Augusta Road) in Garden City to DeRenne Avenue in

. It is also known as W.F. Lynes Parkway and has an unsigned designation of State Route 421 (SR 421).

References

External links