Interstate 675 (I-675) is an

auxiliary Interstate Highway Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways) are a supplemental subset of the freeways within the Interstate Highway System of the United States. Auxiliary routes are generally classified as spur routes, which con ...

in the southeast part of the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

. It travels from

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 ...

in Stockbridge in the south to I-285 in the north. I-675 is also designated as the Terrell Starr Parkway and also has the unsigned internal state route designation of State Route 413 (SR 413).

Route description

Beginning at its southern terminus with I-75, I-675 is a four-lane highway with a grassy median and frequently with

cable barrier A cable barrier, sometimes referred to as guard cable or wire rope safety barrier (WRSB), is a type of roadside or median safety traffic barrier/guard rail. It consists of steel wire ropes mounted on weak posts. As is the case with any roadside b ...

s. Between Ellenwood Road/Forest Parkway and the route's northern terminus at I-285 and Moreland Avenue, the freeway expands with three lanes in each direction. The southern end of I-675 includes reversible

high-occupancy toll A high-occupancy toll lane (or HOT lane) is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a variable fee that is adjusted in response t ...

(HOT) and express toll lanes built within the median, the

South Metro Express Lanes The South Metro Express Lanes is a completed Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) project which has put Peach Pass-only reversible toll lanes along the medians of Interstate 75 (I-75) and I-675 in the southern suburbs of the Atlan ...

, which opened January 28, 2017. The entire length of I-675 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.

History

At one time, I-675 was to connect with I-485/ State Route 400 (SR 400) east of

Downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, s ...

. However, this would have destroyed many neighborhoods including

Inman Park Inman Park is an intown neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, and its first planned suburb. It was named for Samuel M. Inman. History Today's neighborhood of Inman Park includes areas that were originally designated * Inman Park p ...

. Because it was thought that the road was unnecessary due to three other existing north–south Interstates across and around the city and due to community opposition, the highway was stopped by then-Governor of Georgia

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

in 1975. After I-485 was canceled, it was then planned to end at once proposed I-420 near Gresham Park. However, in 1986, I-420 was canceled for the same reason. So, its northern terminus is at I-285 instead. What would have been the interchange between this road and I-485 is now the location of the

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

. In 1982, the entire length of the highway began construction. After several delays, the expressway opened 3 years late and $10 million over budget in 1987.

Future

In 2006, a

Reason Foundation The Reason Foundation is an American libertarian think tank that was founded in 1978. The foundation publishes the magazine ''Reason''. Based in Los Angeles, California, it is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. According to its web site, the f ...

report suggested a tunnel connecting I-675 to SR 400 and completing the originally proposed Interstate 420 estimating a cost of $4.8 billion. In 2009, the idea of connecting I-675 and SR 400 had been officially resurrected, being put on an official list of

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 developin ...

(GDOT) priorities. This would extend I-675 north to

I-20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...

with a surface road, then go underground with a road tunnel. This would displace some neighborhoods and industrial areas to the south. The tunnel would protect other areas north of I-20; however, there would still be ventilation buildings. In 2010, the proposal faced opposition from then-Atlanta mayor

Kasim Reed Mohammed Kasim Reed (born June 10, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia's state capital and largest city, from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed was a member of the Georgia House of Represe ...

and many residents of the areas it would pass through. An August 2010 GDOT feasibility study found that "no physical constraints exist along the proposed alignment that would preclude construction of a tunnel" and over a 75 year period, it would be expected to save 2.8 billion hours. After the 2017

Interstate 85 bridge collapse A massive fire collapsed an Interstate 85 (I-85) bridge in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, on the evening of Thursday, March 30, 2017. After the section collapsed, I-85 was closed to traffic for 43 days between its split with I-75 and the inte ...

, the plan received temporary interest. As of August 2022, it is not on

GDOT 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 developin ...

's Major Mobility Investment Project list.

Exit list

References

External links