U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) in the U.S. state of Georgia is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that travels from the St. Marys River south-southeast of Folkston to the North Carolina state line, in the northern part of Dillard. At nearly in length, it is the longest U.S. Highway in Georgia.
US 23 is signed concurrently with various state highways. It uses State Route 4 (SR 4) from Florida to a point north of Alma, SR 15 from Florida to Racepond, SR 23 in Folkston, SR 121 from Folkston to Racepond, SR 520 and SR 38 in Waycross, SR 19 from north of Alma to Lumber City, SR 135 Truck in Hazlehurst, SR 27 from Hazlehurst to Eastman, SR 165 in Chauncey, SR 27 Business (SR 27 Bus.) and SR 117 in Eastman, SR 87 from Eastman to Macon, SR 257 in the Empire area, SR 112 near Cochran, SR 19 from East Macon to the northern part of Macon, SR 540 from East Macon to the eastern part of Macon, SR 11/SR 49 in Macon, SR 87 from Macon to Flovilla, SR 42 from Flovilla to Atlanta, SR 16 and SR 36 in Jackson, SR 138 in the Stockbridge area, SR 10 from Atlanta to Druid Hills, SR 8 from Atlanta to Decatur, SR 155 from Decatur to the Brookhaven–Chamblee city line, SR 13 from the Brookhaven–Chamblee city line to the Sugar Hill–Buford city line, SR 20 within Buford, SR 365 from Buford to east-southeast of Clarkesville, SR 15 from northwest of Cornelia to the North Carolina state line, and SR 2 in Clayton.
Concurrencies of US 23 with U.S. Highways in Georgia are US 1 from Florida to north of Alma, US 301 from Florida to the Folkston–Homeland city line, US 82 in Waycross, US 84 in Waycross, US 221 Truck in Hazlehurst, US 341 from Hazlehurst to Eastman, US 129 Alternate (US 129 Alt.) from north of Cochran to Macon, US 80 from East Macon to Macon, US 129 in Macon, US 278 from Atlanta to Druid Hills, US 29/US 78 from Atlanta to Decatur, US 129 in Gainesville, US 441 from northwest of Cornelia to the North Carolina state line, and US 76 in Clayton. Between Buford and Gainesville, it also has a concurrency with Interstate 985 (I-985).
Route description
Entering Georgia with US 1 US 23 enters Georgia from Florida concurrent with US 1/US 301, also designated as SR 4/SR 15, on a bridge over the St. Marys River. In Folkston, the route intersects Main Street. North of there, SR 23/SR 121 joins this concurrency.
In Homeland, US 301/SR 23 heads northeast at an interchange into the woods of northeastern Charlton County toward Nahunta, Jesup, Claxton, Statesboro, and Sylvania, while US 23 continues to the northwest in the concurrency with US 1/SR 4/SR 15/SR 121. After Homeland, US 1/US 23/SR 4/SR 15/SR 121 run through sparse communities such as Uptonville and then Mattox. Later, in Racepond, SR 15/SR 121 branch off to the northeast, while the US 1/US 23/SR 4 concurrency remains running to the northwest and then crossing into Ware County, turning straight north somewhere in Dixon Memorial State Forest.
After a Georgia State Trooper Post, the routes enter Waycross. The road approaches US 82/SR 520 and then turns west onto a concurrency with these routes while US 1 Bus./US 23/SR 4 Bus. continues northwest along Memorial Drive. US 84/SR 38 also joins this concurrency at McDonald Street. The concurrency ends at Victory Drive and the southwest corner is the site of Waycross College. West of the city limits, US 82 becomes a divided highway as it takes US 1/US 23 from west to northwest as they cross SR 122. The road starts to curve west, and, before reaching Waresboro, US 1/US 23 breaks away from US 82 onto a bypass across from a local street named Fulford Road. Using a former segment of Fulford Road and later Scapa Road, the bypass winds through forestland and some farmland west of northern Deenwood and northwest of Waycross. The bypass ends at the northern end of US 1 Bus./US 23/SR 4 Bus., then rejoins its former segment along Alma Highway to approach a series of bridges over Cox Creek and then over the Satilla River. After this, it passes through a small community called Dixie Union, where it intersects a local road named Telmore-Dixie Union Road to the west and Dixie Union Road to the east. North of Bickley Highway, the road curves to the northeast and winds around a former segment so that it can go over a pair of bridges over another railroad line. Right after the Ware–Bacon county line and then the intersection of Old Alma-Waycross Highway/Jamestown Road, the road runs over a pair of bridges over Little Hurricane Creek before the intersection with Plant Road where it curves from the northeast to the north-northwest.
The divided highway ends at Dogwood Avenue, replaced by a four-lane undivided highway with a center-left turn lane; it enters Alma after it passes by the Bacon County High School and Middle School. Immediately after the intersection with Radio Station Road, SR 4 Alt. branches off to the northwest onto South Dixon Street, while the main road curves slightly to the northeast. Several blocks after this, the US 1/US 23/SR 4 has a major intersection with SR 32 (16th Street), and South Pierce Street becomes North Pierce Street. Among the structures along this segment, it passes by a former school converted into a welcome center, then curves to the northwest after Sixth Street. After passing through the preserved land around the Bear Branch of Hurricane Creek, the road encounters SR 4 Alt. at North Dixon Street, replacing the straight north trajectory of the business route. US 1/US 23/SR 4 turns from straight north to northeast where it leaves the Alma city limits as it crosses the Curtis Lee Marion Bridge over the Hurricane Creek, resuming its former name as Alma Highway, and it then curves straight north again to cross the Jauquion R. "Rab" Tanner Bridge over the Hurricane Creek Overflow and remains that way for the next . After the road becomes a divided highway again north of a dirt road named Tadpole Trail, US 23 splits off to the northwest onto SR 19, while US 1/SR 4 continues northeasterly and crosses into Appling County. Alma Highway follows the US 23/SR 19 designation.
North from Bacon County Throughout much of this segment, US 23/SR 19 has standard rural Georgia surroundings, with its mix of wooded areas, local farmland, and intersections with mostly dirt roads. These routes also cross the Bacon–Appling county line, and then the Appling–Jeff Davis county line. The routes return to the Jeff Davis County again where they later they cross a bridge over the Little Satilla Creek, and another bridge over the Big Satilla Creek before entering community of Satilla. No major intersections exist within this community, and very few other paved roads exist. Nearing Hazlehurst, Alma Highway continues into the southern terminus of US 23 Bus./SR 135 Conn., while US 23/SR 19 turns right onto Larry Contos Boulevard, taking part of US 221 Truck/SR 135 Truck with it. From there, it passes by a power plant on the west side. The route officially enters the Hazlehurst city limits between Currie Street and the railroad bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railway's Brunswick District. Larry Contos Boulevard ends at US 341/SR 27 (a divided four-lane highway Designated the Golden Isles Parkway), and US 23/SR 19 turns northwest along this route. The first notable site along this segment is the combined Hazlehurst Fire Department and the Hazlehurst — Jeff Davis County Chamber of Commerce building on the northeast corner of Oak Street. Two block later, it crosses another railroad line just east of Walnut Street. Two blocks after this, it intersects with northbound US 221 and the north end of US 23 Bus., and the truck routes for US 221/SR 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 Conn.) and West Jamar streets, and northbound US 221 finally joins the southbound road once again at North Tallahassee Street, while southbound US 221 continues southbound along South Tallahassee Street.
The routes cross the Jeff Davis–Telfair county line by passing over the Dr. C. R. Youmans Memorial Bridge over the Ocmulgee River where it enters Lumber City. SR 19 leaves the US 23/US 341/SR 27 concurrency at Victory Boulevard. Shortly afterwards at Main Street, it has another intersection with the southeastern terminus of SR 117, across from Burns Street. The routes then curve more towards the west as they cross the NS's Brunswick District again. Curving back to the northwest, it becomes a divided highway once again. Beyond that, it winds through farms and forestland of Georgia with few landmarks of any significance other than intersections with former SR 134, and later SR 149. West of SR 149 is the Talmadge Home (also known as "Sugar Creek Plantation"), which is now a restaurant and catering hall. It also passes the Telfair County Elementary School, and then the broadcast home of WYSC and WYIS. The divided highway ends at a Husqvarna Group plant along the border of McRae where after the intersection with East Avenue, the route later splits onto a pair of one way streets. Though the northbound lanes are still considered part of the Golden Isles Parkway, street name signs still refer to it as Railroad Street, as they do to the local street on the opposite side of the railroad tracks. Though the historic Telfair County Courthouse and Jail can be seen from both northbound and southbound US 23/US 341, it is officially located only on the southbound street. The northbound street passes a former Southern Railway station across from an agricultural seed and feed store at the intersection of Second Street, which has a former grade crossing that was closed, and then intersects with US 280/US 319/US 441. The one-way split ends between Fifth and Sixth avenues. US 23/US 341/SR 27 crosses the former McRae–Helena border at a shopping center called the Telfair Plaza. A few blocks after this, it encounters a former Seaboard Air Line railroad crossing west of Forsyth Avenue. The divided highway resumes just west of the city limits.
After the intersection with Red Barn Road (Telfair County Route 88, or CR 88), US 23/US 341/SR 27 crosses the Telfair–Dodge county line through Achord, where it curves more to the west. The road for which the community was named is a dirt road that only has access to the northwestern lanes. The first official median opening within the community is at Clarence Brown Road, for a local lumberyard. Little else exists northwest of there besides random private houses and churches. The divided highway briefly ends again as the routes enter Chauncey, where it has a short wrong-way concurrency with SR 165, and becomes a divided highway once again at the Langdale Forest Products driveway. US 23/US 341/SR 27 tries to curve more toward the north but still remains northwest as it eventually enters Eastman where US 23 leaves US 341 onto two-lane wide College Street, but has another concurrency with US 341 Bus. and SR 27 Bus. Here, the road passes an open-air flea market at the intersections of Pine Ridge Road and Industrial Boulevard, and then a local pond named Harrell Pond. After the routes shift from College Street to Oak Street, it gets a new concurrency with SR 87/SR 117 at Griffin Avenue, but shortly at SR 46 (Fifth Avenue), SR 117 leaves eastbound, while US 341 Bus./SR 27 Bus. leaves westbound. US 23 and SR 87 will continue to overlap each other throughout most of Central Georgia. North of a cemetery near the city limits, the name of the street changes from Oak Street to Eastman Cochran Highway but still remains two lanes wide from that point on, although construction is underway on widening the road to a four-lane highway (partially divided, partially with a center turn lane) between SR 87 Conn. north of Eastman to the community of Empire at the Dodge–Bleckley county line. At Empire, the route intersects SR 257 (including a brief wrong-way concurrency) and becomes a four-lane highway with a continuous center turn lane.