End of US highway 280

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz; click here to view his site. Photo credits: David Dawson; Alex Nitzman; Chris Patriarca

US 280's east terminus has always been in Blitchton GA: not far from Savannah, and just off today's I-16. The photo below shows the "End" sign:

Nitzman, Dec. 2006

Below is the signage for eastbound US 80 traffic, at the east beginning of US 280:

Nitzman, Dec. 2006

The shot below was taken from the opposite direction: westbound US 80 (which runs northwest at this point). The east beginning of US 280 is to the left:

Dawson, Dec. 2001

Based on photos Alex sent, the assembly in that photo has apparently been replaced (although they may have reused the same shields), and it appears the "TO I-16" sign is gone now. US 280 begins by heading southwest; if you turn that way, you'll see the first westbound US 280 marker, shown below:

Dawson, Dec. 2001

Just behind that assembly is a grand old tree whose canopy arches over the entire roadway. The green sign in distance gives mileage to Pembroke and Claxton. I-16's interchange 143 is about a mile ahead.

Commissioned in 1931, the original US 280 ran only as far west as Columbus GA. At the time, US 80 went through town via Wynnton Road/11th Street. US 280 came in from the south on 10th Avenue, ending at its junction with US 80:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Wynnton/11th is the crossroad. Sometime around 1945, US 280 was changed such that it began coming in on 4th Avenue (now called Veterans Parkway). If we turn left from the junction shown above, and follow 11th (old US 80) west for six blocks, we come to Veterans/4th:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

This was original westbound US 80, which continued to the right on Veterans/4th. So US 280 may have begun to the left. However, US 80 also had an intermediate routing through Columbus: it began following Buena Vista Road and 13th Street. Depending when this happened, US 280 might have extended right (to the north on Veterans/4th) in order to meet the "new" US 80:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That's looking north on Veterans/4th at a possible endpoint of US 280 (US 80 ran along the crossroad, 13th).

In 1954, US 280 was extended west to Birmingham AL. Traffic came into town on Cahaba Road, then Arlington Avenue, which becomes Highland Avenue. Until sometime in the 1970s, US 280 ended at 20th Street South (which carried US 31):

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That's looking west on Highland, where US 280 ended at 20th. The shot below was taken from southbound 20th:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That was US 31; to the left on Highland was the west beginning of US 280. Today the west end of US 280 is at its junction with I-20/59. The photo below is looking north on the Elton Stephens Expressway near its interchange with I-20/59:

Nitzman, 2001

US 280 is co-signed with US 31 up to this point; the US 31 designation continues ahead, along Carraway Boulevard (old 26th Street).

The roads and highway routings in this area are pretty complex; Alex has done a fantastic job of covering it on his website - check it out for more detailed info. Below I've posted just a sampling of the photos on that site; the following progression shows the west beginning of US 280 from the perspective of northbound Carraway/26th/old US 31. The road now bends to the east to meet the new freeway:

Nitzman

A left turn continues north on Carraway/26th, while a right turn is a ramp southbound onto the new expressway:

Nitzman

On that ramp, the shields shown below are posted:

Nitzman

In the photo below, we're looking south on Carraway/26th. Ahead is the ramp to the expressway (the shields for which are shown above). A right turn allows you to continue south on Carraway:

Nitzman

Heading south on Carraway will also allow you to come back towards the camera (via the ramps shown at far right) and connect with I-20/59. The photo below is looking east on 11th Avenue, which is actually a block or two north of the true beginning of US 280:

Nitzman

This next photo shows the west beginning of US 280 as seen from north/east I-20/59...

Patriarca, May 2003

...and below is the beginning from south/west I-20/59:

Patriarca, May 2003