U.S. Route 221 (US 221) in the U.S. state of Georgia is a south–north U.S. Highway. It travels from the Florida border near the Quitman area to the South Carolina state line, north of Pollards Corner. The highway connects North Central Florida with Upstate South Carolina.

US 221 has concurrencies with Georgia State Route 76 (SR 76) from the Florida state line to Quitman, SR 333 within Quitman, SR 38 from Quitman to Valdosta, SR 7 in Valdosta, SR 31 from Valdosta to Douglas, SR 135 in Lakeland, SR 37 from Lakeland to east of Lakeland, SR 122 from Lakeland to northeast of Lakeland, SR 135 Byp. in Lakeland, SR 135 from Douglas to Uvalda, SR 32 Truck/SR 158 Truck and SR 32 in Douglas, SR 135 Conn. in Hazlehurst, SR 56 from Uvalda to Gillis Springs, SR 15 in Soperton, SR 171 from Gillis Springs to Louisville, SR 78 within the vicinity of Bartow, SR 24 within the vicinity of Louisville, SR 4 Bus. in Louisville, SR 4 and SR 17 from Louisville to Wrens, SR 88 and SR 540 in Wrens, SR 47 from Wrens to Pollards Corner, and SR 150 from Pollards Corner to the South Carolina state line.

Concurrencies of US 221 with U.S. Highways in Georgia include US 84 from Quitman to Valdosta, US 41 in Valdosta, US 129 in the vicinity of Lakeland, US 441 from south-southwest of Pearson to Douglas, part of US 23/US 341 in Hazlehurst, US 319 within the vicinity of Bartow, and US 1 from Louisville to Wrens.

Route description

Florida through Hazlehurst Starting at the Florida line south of Quitman in Brooks County, US 221 heads north concurrent with SR 76. Just south of Quitman, both roads merge with an at-grade interchange with SR 333 until they reach downtown Quitman, passing over a railroad bridge over a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad line. US 221/SR 76/SR 333 turn east at US 84/SR 38 in front of the Brooks County Probate Courthouse and all five routes stay concurrent until the intersection with Washington Street where SR 76/333 split off to the north. Previously, SR 76 continued along US 84/US 221/SR 38 until Highland Road and split off to the northeast. Just before the bridge over the Okapilco Creek, the name of US 84/US 221/SR 38 changes from East Screven Street to Thomasville Road. The routes maintain this name even as they cross the bridge over the Withlacoochee River as well as the Brooks-Lowndes County Line. All the while, US 84/US 221/SR 38 runs in close proximity to the north side of the same former ACL line it passed over in Downtown Quitman.

East of there, the road runs along small portion of the border with Valdosta becoming West Hill Avenue then enters it completely just before encountering the quarter cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 75 at Exit 16, and from there also serves as the beginning of the Interstate 75 Business Loop. US 84/US 221/I-75 Bus./SR 83 makes a brief curve to the southeast before the intersection with the southern terminus of SR 133. After crossing over a railroad bridge and then intersecting North Wells Street, the routes become a one-way pair splitting between Hill Avenue (eastbound) and Central Avenue (westbound). Further downtown, US 84/US 221/SR 38 encounters another one-way pair at US 41 Business, the southbound road uses North Patterson Street, and the northbound road which is a block later is at North Ashley Street, which takes I-BL 75 with it. West Hill and West Central Avenues become East Hill and East Central Avenues east of Patterson Street. Central Avenue ends at Hill Avenue and Forrest Street making the routes bidirectional four-lane undivided highway with center-left turn provisions once again. After Blanchard Street, the road becomes a divided highway just before crossing a pair of bridges over Knights Creek, then passes by some radio towers for WJEM (1150 AM). The end of US 221's multiplex with US 84/SR 38 takes place at the intersection with US 41/SR 7/SR 31 (Inner Perimeter Road), and US 221 turns north along a new multiplex. After a curve to the northwest, the four routes intersect East Park Avenue. Here, US 221/SR 31 split off to the northeast and then leaves the city, while US 41/SR 7 heads northwest towards I-75 at Exit 22. East Park Avenue runs northeast becoming Lakeland Highway, and passes through spares residencies and occasional farm fields of little importance. The only site of any significance along this route is the Bemiss Auxiliary Army Airfield which is hidden off in a wooden area accessible only by a dirt road just south of the Lowndes-Lanier County Line.

The road starts curving more toward the north and somewhere off to the east is the beginning of SR 31 Connector. North of there, it enters the Lakeland City Limits just south of Burnt Church Road, becoming South Valdosta Road. After passing the city department of public works garage it is joined by a concurrency with SR 135. South Valdosta Road comes to an end, but US 221/SR 31/SR 135 turn right at a wrong-way concurrency with U.S. Route 129, which also has concurrencies with SR 11/SR 37/SR 122. Georgia State Route 135's wrong way concurrency with US 129 ends as soon as it begins, because it is positioned at a pair of T-intersections set close to one another that requires a slight shift to the right for all traffic on North Carter Street. At Oak Street, another concurrency joins US 221, specifically SR 135 Bypass then two blocks later turns north onto North College Street, which is also the southern terminus of SR 11 Bypass. US 129/US 221/SR 11/SR 31/SR 37/SR 122 leaves the city limits at the bridge over "Big Creek" which is a tributary of the Alapaha River. These routes cross that river itself using the Captain Henry Will Jones Bridge. A former section of the route can be found curving off to the northwest at the intersection with a dirt road named "Old River Road," and US 221/SR 31/SR 122 turns north just before US 129/SR 11's concurrency with SR 37 ends, almost in the same manner. Shortly after this, SR 122 breaks away from the multiplex, branching off to the east. The last intersection in Lanier County is a blinker-light intersection with SR 168. Immediately after this the road cuts through a corner of Clinch County surrounded by forestland and only intersecting local dirt roads until it enters Atkinson County and encounters the southern terminus of a concurrency with SR 64

South of Pearson, US 441 joins the concurrency with US 221/SR 31/SR 64 bringing the overlapping SR 89 to an end, however US 221 continues north along that multiplex until it reaches the town whereas SR 64 leaves at US 82. North of US 82 US 221/US 441/SR 31 becomes a four-lane undivided highway that runs northeast then after the bridge over Pudding Creek curves to the northwest along the left bank of the Satilla River, then turns straight north to finally cross that river. Six miles later the routes enter Douglas. Right after Douglas Municipal Airport US 221 leaves the US 441 multiplex, turning east at the intersection of Bowens Mill Road, which includes SR 135/SR 32 Truck/SR 158 Truck and the southern terminus of SR 206. A widening project is proposed for this segment. Just before reaching Brantley Boulevard the road starts to curve northeast. SR 158 Truck ends at SR 158, but US 221/SR 32 Truck/SR 135 continues northeast. At a grade crossing with the same former Seaboard Coast Line Railroad line it previously went over, the routes encounter and intersection with Spooner Road and Iron Road, and then curves to the northwest. Georgia State SR 32 Truck finally ends at the east end of a short multiplex between SR 32, which ends at Westgreen Road, where westbound SR 32 turns left but northbound US 221/SR 135 turns right, passing a bridge over Seventeen Mile River, thus leaving the city limits. Despite this, US 221/SR 135 remains a four-lane undivided highway with a continuous left-turn lane and keeps the name Westgreen Road a little longer. Between Charmingdale and Tyson Roads, the outer northbound lane ends. North of the eastern terminus of the Georgia State Route 206 Connector, the road changes into a two-lane highway with a continuous left-turn lane, and after Clough Boulevard, the center-left turn lane ends. North of there it has a wye intersection with Cross Road, and then passes by the former Beaver Kreek Golf CourseBeaver Kreek Golf Club (WorldGolf.com) The road makes a direct northeast curve, then turns back to the north before passing through West Green. The last rural community is Lehigh before US 221 curves to the north-northeast and crosses the Coffee-Jeff Davis County Line.

Remaining at the same trajectory, the first community US 221/SR 135 runs through in Jeff Davis County is the small City of Denton. North of Denton, the road becomes Douglas Highway, which briefly curves straight north and runs through Brooker where it meets the eastern terminus of SR 107. Immediately curving to the north-northeast and later the northeast, the road passes through Roper. The few non-agricultural sites along the way include a campus of the Coastal Pines Technical College. Between Camelia Road and Palm Road, US 221/SR 135 passes over a small causeway over man-made lake utilizing Big Satilla Creek. The largest city within the county that it enters is Hazlehurst just south of the intersection with West Pineland Avenue. Between the unfinished Edgewood Street and Belleview Court, it passes by the Jeff Davis Hospital. Northbound US 221/SR 135 makes a right turn onto East Jefferson Street shared by southbound US 23 Business as the beginning of another one-way pair. Just after the former west to northbound turning ramp, Northbound US 221 Truck continues down East Jefferson Street along with southbound US 23 BUS, while northbound US BUS 23 joins northbound US 221 along South Cromartie Street. Both Cromartie Street and Tallahassee Street have railroad crossings for a former Southern Railway line (now the Norfolk Southern Railway's Brunswick District), but Tallahassee Street's crossing is directly in front of the former station. The route intersects with northbound US 23/US 341 and the north end of US BUS 23, and the truck routes for US 221/GA 135 officially comes to an end. US 23/US 341 and northbound US 221 run for one block until the routes curve to the north at East Coffee (SR 19 Connector) and West Jamar Streets, and northbound US 221 finally re-joins the southbound road once again at North Tallahassee Street, while northbound US 23/US 341 continues towards Eastman, Perry, Barnesville, Macon, Atlanta and Dillard. Heading into more rural surroundings, US 221/SR 135 passes by Jeff Davis Country Club, and later becomes the Uvalda Highway, passing by Tallahassee off to the northwest. Curving towards the east-northeast, the road passes through the territory of the Beasley Forest Products lumber yard, which contains a railroad line that ends on the southeast side of the road at an abandoned railroad crossing. East of the lumber yard, the road curves back more towards the north-northeast. The last site along the road within the county is the Towns Bluff Park & Heritage Center, a county park within the Bullard Creek Wildlife Management Area.Towns Bluff Park & Heritage Center (Jeff Davis County Parks Department) US 221/SR 135 crosses the Jeff Davis-Montgomery County Line at the foot of the Neal Lee Gillis Memorial Bridge, a long two-lane causeway over the Altamaha River.

North of Hazlehurst through Bartow