State Route 515 (SR 515) is a four-lane C-shaped

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 ...

in the northern part 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 ...

. It uses a blue state route designation because it is part of the

Appalachian Development Highway System The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historical ...

. It begins just west of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. It curves to the northeast to

Lake Chatuge Lake Chatuge is a man-made reservoir in Towns County, Georgia, and Clay County, North Carolina. It lies along the Hiwassee River created by the Chatuge Dam which finished construction in 1942. The lake is relatively shallow with depths of and r ...

, where it heads north to the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

state line. The highway was built to give motorists in the north Georgia mountains better access to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and its outlying suburbs, as opposed to the old SR 5 and U.S. Route 76 (US 76) highways, which this project replaced. SR 515 is also known as the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway, in honor of

Zell Miller Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American author and politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as lieutenant governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as U.S ...

, elected as

Georgia governor The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

and

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. It is one 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 developin ...

's Governor's Road Improvement Program (GRIP) corridors. The highway is known for mountain views all along its route. SR 515 is part of the

Corridor A The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historic ...

, and is known as the "APD Highway." The highway was designated in 1989.

Route description

SR 515 begins just west of Nelson and just north of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

-Pickens County line, at the convergence of the northern terminus of

Interstate 575 Interstate 575 (I-575) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the United States, which branches off I-75 in Kennesaw and connects the Atlanta metropolitan area with the North Georgia mountains, extending . I-575 is also the unsigned State R ...

, SR 5, the northern terminus of SR 5 Business, and the northern terminus of SR 372. It is

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 5 from its southern terminus to Blue Ridge. It is also concurrent with US 76 from

East Ellijay East Ellijay is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. The population was 546 at the 2010 census, down from 707 in 2000. East Ellijay was originally the location of Fort Hetzel, one of the Cherokee removal forts built in 1838 to house th ...

to a point between Young Harris and

Hiawassee Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The community's population was 880 at the 2010 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means meadow, (A variant spelling, ...

. It maintains a fairly strict south-north routing from its southern terminus to Blue Ridge and then becomes a due east-west route for the remainder of its length. SR 515 is a significant route for the north Georgia mountains, funneling tourist traffic and serving as a growth corridor. SR 515 sees an Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) of more than 10,000 vehicles south of Blue Ridge, and at least 5,000 on the entirety of the route. The entire length of SR 515, including the concurrent sections, 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

The road that would eventually become numbered as SR 515 was established at least by 1919 along nearly the same alignment as it travels today. At the time, it was numbered as SR 5 from Nelson to Ellijay, SR 2 and possibly 5 from Ellijay to Blue Ridge, and SR 2 from Blue Ridge to the Young Harris area. The entire route was paved by this time. In 1989, SR 515 was signed along its entire length.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline 515 Transportation in Pickens County, Georgia Transportation in Gilmer County, Georgia Transportation in Fannin County, Georgia Transportation in Union County, Georgia Transportation in Towns County, Georgia Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Appalachian Development Highway System

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links