U.S. Route 280 (US 280) is a spur of
U.S. Highway 80. It currently runs for 392 miles (631 km) from
Blichton, Georgia at US 80 to
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
at
I-20/
I-59. For much of its route, US 280 travels through rural areas and smaller cities in southern
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 ...
and east central
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. Once the highway approaches Birmingham, it is a major suburban route. Numerous
shopping centers are located on US 280 throughout northern
Shelby County and southern
Jefferson County.
US 280 is the main connector between
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
and
Auburn, AL
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama, with a 2020 population of 76,143. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population ...
.
Through Talladega County, Alabama, US 280 is known as the
Jim Nabors
James Thurston Nabors (June 12, 1930 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle.
Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, an ...
Highway, in honor of the
Sylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578.
Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. This was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has been q ...
, native known for portraying the television character
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a fictional character played by Jim Nabors and introduced in the middle of the third season of ''The Andy Griffith Show''.
A naïve and gentle auto mechanic, he became a character in the January 1963 episode, ''Man in a Hurry''. ...
. The historical designation of US-280 and Alabama SR 38 is the Florida Short Route.
For many years, US 280 and SR 38 was considered one of the more dangerous routes in Alabama, due to the number of large stretches of narrow two-lane roadway leading southeastwardly from Birmingham. Work was completed in 2006 making US 280 a four-lane highway throughout the entire state of Alabama. This project began in the 1970s. As a result, US 280 now bypasses numerous small towns in east Alabama, including
Goodwater,
Jackson's Gap,
Camp Hill and
Waverly.
In Georgia, US 280 from
Columbus to
I-16 is also a
Governor's Road Improvement Program (GRIP) corridor known as "Power Alley".
Route description
Alabama
US 280 terminates concurrently with
U.S. 31 at
I-20/
I-59. US 31 continues onward at this point. The route continues through downtown
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
with US 31. They junction with
US 11
{{Infobox road
, country=USA
, type=US
, route=11
, map={{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, frame-height=330, type=line, from=U.S. Route 11.map
, map_custom=yes
, map_notes=US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, US 11W in ...
and
US 78
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and climb over Red Mountain into
Mtn. Brook as a section of highway called the Red Mountain Expressway. Here, US 280 splits off of US 31 at a highly complex
interchange with elements of a Directional-T and a
Parclo
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
.
It continues on somewhat of a freeway through Mtn. Brook, eventually reaching
The Summit, a huge outdoor mall. It also junctions with
I-459
Interstate 459 (I-459) is a bypass highway of I-59 that is an alternate Interstate Highway around the southern sides of Birmingham, Bessemer, and several other cities and towns in Jefferson County, Alabama. I-459 lies entirely within Jeffe ...
at this point, at a Parclo-like interchange which is being modified to better suit traffic.
The route continues through one of the more developed areas of east Birmingham and eventually climbs over Double Oak Mountain into
Shelby County and
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. It continues east to
Harpersville, which is home to its junction with
US 231
U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south U.S highway that is a parallel route of US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, at US 41 to south of US 98 in downtown Panama City, Florida.
One of its most notable landmarks is ...
north and
SR 25. US 280 continues with US 231 until it reaches the
Coosa River, which it crosses into
Talladega County. It eventually reaches
Sylacauga, which is home to its junction with US 231 south and
SR 21. This specific junction is a diamond interchange, commonly used on freeways.
The route continues south-east through northern
Coosa County until it has another diamond interchange with
SR 9. It then passes through
Kellyton, which is home to its minor junction with
SR 115.
It crosses into
Tallapoosa County just before entering
Alexander City
Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is the largest city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 census. It has been the largest community in Tallapoosa County since 1910. It is know ...
, which is home to
Russell Athletic. US 280 junctions with
SR 22 and
SR 63 in the city. It then proceeds through slightly hilly terrain to
Dadeville. It junctions with
SR 49, which connects the route to the
Talladega National Forest
The Talladega National Forest is located in the U.S. state of Alabama and covers 392,567 acres (613.39 sq mi, or 1,588.66 km2) at the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains.
Before it was bought by the federal government in the 1930s, t ...
/
Cheaha State Park. It leaves Dadeville, promptly enters
Camp Hill, junctions with
SR 50, and enters the southwestern corner of
Chambers County, and then crosses into
Lee County.
The route then reaches
The Bottle
"The Bottle" is a song by American soul artist Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in 1974 on Strata-East Records in the United States. It was later reissued during the mid-1980s on Champagne Records in the United Kingdom. "Th ...
, which is named for the bright orange wooden replica of a
Nehi
Nehi (pronounced "knee high") is a flavored soft drink that originated in the United States. It was introduced in 1924 by Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works and founded by Claud A. Hatcher, a Columbus, Georgia grocer who began bottling ginger ale a ...
soda bottle which stood in the location from 1924 to 1936. It crosses into
Auburn, which is barely skimmed by US 280 as it then crosses into nearby
Opelika. The route junctions with
US 29
U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington ...
/
I-85
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...
. It joins the freeway with them and continues through I-85's junction with
SR 51. It then splits off of the road with
US 431
U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from US 231/Alabama State Route 210 and US 231 Business (US 231 Bus.) and US 431 Bus. in Dothan, Alabama, to Owensboro, ...
. It continues on a heavily traveled road into
Russell County, and eventually to
Phenix City, which is actually in the
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...
due to its close proximity with
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
across the
Chattahoochee River. It junctions with
US 80
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The route then leaves US 431 behind and crosses the Chattahoochee River, leaving Alabama and entering
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 ...
in Columbus. US 280 has a length of in Alabama.
US 280 has the unsigned designation of State Route 38 (SR 38) throughout its length in Alabama.
Georgia
US 280 begins in Georgia at the state's border with
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
in
Columbus. There it is paired with
State Route 520 and
U.S. Route 27. It maintains this designation as it passes through
Fort Benning. Upon arriving in
Cusseta, US 280/GA 520 diverge from US 27 and continue southeast to
Richland, where US 280 splits off from GA 520. From here, US 280 continues on its own east, passing through
Plains
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands.
In ...
(the boyhood home of
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, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
) and becomes cosigned with
State Route 30 in
Americus. US 280/SR 30 then continue east-southeast, crossing
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
Cordele, still continuing east through mainly rural areas of the southern portion of the state, passing through smaller towns such as
McRae–Helena,
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
,
Vidalia, and
Pembroke. The highway then turns to the northeast as it leaves Pembroke, crossing
I-16 at exit 143. Still continuing northeast, the highway then terminates in
Blichton at
U.S. Route 80.
National Highway System
Except for the easternmost portion between I-16 and the eastern terminus, the entire length of US 280 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
Prior to the completion of the
Elton B. Stephens Expressway in Birmingham, US 31, US 78, and US 280 traveled concurrently until they intersected
US 11 at the intersection of 1st Avenue North and 24th Street.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
*
References
External links
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 280
{{Authority control
80-2
80-2
80-2
2
Transportation in Jefferson County, Alabama
Transportation in Shelby County, Alabama
Transportation in Talladega County, Alabama
Transportation in Coosa County, Alabama
Transportation in Tallapoosa County, Alabama
Transportation in Chambers County, Alabama
Transportation in Lee County, Alabama
Transportation in Russell County, Alabama
Transportation in Muscogee County, Georgia
Transportation in Stewart County, Georgia
Transportation in Webster County, Georgia
Transportation in Sumter County, Georgia
Transportation in Crisp County, Georgia
Transportation in Wilcox County, Georgia
Transportation in Dodge County, Georgia
Transportation in Telfair County, Georgia
Transportation in Wheeler County, Georgia
Transportation in Montgomery County, Georgia
Transportation in Toombs County, Georgia
Transportation in Tattnall County, Georgia
Transportation in Evans County, Georgia
Transportation in Bryan County, Georgia