Site Navigation Alabama Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee     Interstate 520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) Known as the Bobby Jones Expressway, Interstate 520 forms a loop around the western and southern portions of the Augusta metropolitan area. The freeway carries four lanes throughout its duration. A recent resurfacing project from U.S. 1 northward included the widening of Interstate 520 to six lanes near the northern terminus. All button copy signage has been replaced as of Fall of 2000, with new mileage based exit numbering implemented. The portion of highway from U.S. 1 eastward serves an expansive industrial area amidst wetlands within the Savannah River watershed. Signed east-west, Interstate 520 in reality travels northwest-southeast. It will became more of an east-west highway with the opening of an easterly extension into South Carolina from the previous end at Laney-Walker Boulevard. The current eastern terminus was extended into South Carolina on June 22, 2004. The new-four lane Palmetto Parkway extends the freeway eastward to U.S. Highway 1 in North Augusta, South Carolina. Completed as Phase 1 of a two phase project to eventually extend Interstate 520 back to Interstate 20, the Palmetto Parkway cost $43 million to build. Funding is still sought for Phase 2.1 There are plans to upgrade the current cloverleaf interchange between Interstates 20 and 520. New flyovers will be constructed to facilitate movements between Interstate 20 west and Interstate 520 south and Interstate 520 north to Interstate 20 west. In addition, Interstate 20 will see a widening from four to six lanes between the Bobby Jones Expressway interchange and the River Watch Parkway interchange. Thanks to Joseph R. Garcia for the update (11/15/02). Interstate 520 East Georgia 232 southbound as it enters the Bobby Jones Expressway. Depicted here is a proclamation guide sign indicating that Interstate 20 is the Carl Sanders Highway. This guide sign is in place of a standard advance guide sign for an Interstate junction. In the background is the Exit 1A/B Interstate 20 and 520 cloverleaf interchange. Photo taken 04/21/01. Exit 1A departs the Bobby Jones Expressway eastbound for Interstate 20 west and the capital city of Atlanta. Interstate 20 intersects Wheeler Road (Exit 195) just one mile west of Interstate 520. The first mainline exit of Interstate 520 also interacts with Wheeler Road at Exit 1C. Photo taken 07/07/04. Georgia 232 ends and Interstate 520 begins shield assembly posted at the Interstate 20 mainline overpasses and Exit 1B loop ramp onto Interstate 20 east. Interstate 20 serves the Augusta metropolitan area with seven overall interchanges. The freeway crosses the Savannah River four miles to the east. Photo taken 07/07/04. Six lanes of Interstate 520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) travel underneath Wheeler Road at the Exit 1C folded-cloverleaf interchange. Wheeler Road spurs into northwest Augusta to Jackson Road, Aumond Road, and Highland Avenue. Photo taken 07/07/04. The auxiliary lane gained from Wheeler Road departs for Exit 2 and Wrightsboro Road on Interstate 520 east. Wrightsboro Road travels eastward from Grovetown (pop. 6,089) to Daniel Field and the central business district of Augusta where it ends at Eighth Street. Photo taken 07/07/04. Continuing south on Interstate 520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) eastbound one mile ahead of Exits 3A/B for U.S. 78 & 278 (Gordon Highway). The pair begin their overlap 26 miles to the west at Thomson (pop. 6,828). From there U.S. 78 & 278 pass through Dearing (pop. 441), Harlem (pop. 1,814), and Fort Gordon to Augusta. Photo taken 07/07/04. Original Exit 3A/B advance guide sign for the U.S. 78 and 278 (Gordon Highway) cloverleaf interchange. At the time of this photograph, Interstate 520 saw reconstruction and sign replacement. Thus this particular guide sign saw removal shortly this documenting photograph. Photo taken 08/05/00. New signs on Interstate 520 acknowledge the Georgia 10 overlap with U.S. 78 along the Fort Gordon Highway. The state highway counterpart of U.S. 78 follows the federal highway southeastward from Athens to the South Carolina state line at the Savannah River. U.S. 78 & 278 otherwise part ways east of downtown at Clearwater, South Carolina. Photo taken 07/07/04. One-mile overhead for U.S. 1 (Deans Bridge Road) on Interstate 520 eastbound. Like the Exit 3 interchange, Exit 5 is also composes a full cloverleaf interchange. U.S. 1 skirts the southern boundary of Fort Gordon between Blythe (pop. 718) and Augusta before intersecting the Bobby Jones Expressway. Photo taken 07/07/04. Drawing to within one half mile of the Exit 5A/B interchange with U.S. 1 (Deans Bridge Road). The control point for U.S. 1 southbound is that of the Jefferson County town of Wrens (pop. 2,314). There U.S. 1 joins U.S. 221 for an overlap southward to Louisville. Wrens lies 26 miles to the southwest. Photo taken 07/07/04. Exit 5A leaves Interstate 520 eastbound for U.S. 1 (Deans Bridge Road) southbound. Deans Bridge Road provides a surface arterial through the western suburbs of Augusta on the four mile drive to the Fourth Avenue entrance to the Fort Gordon Military Installation. Photo taken 07/07/04. Next in line for Interstate 520 eastbound is the split diamond interchange at Windsor Spring Road and U.S. 25 (Peach Orchard Road) of Exit 7. The two surface roadways intersect just north of the Bobby Jones Expressway in south Augusta. Photo taken 07/07/04. Richmond Hill Road passes over Interstate 520 ahead of the Exit 7 off-ramp to Windsor Spring Road. A short access road continues from Windsor Spring Road to U.S. 25 (Peach Orchard Road). U.S. 25 travels 23 miles south of Interstate 520 to Waynesboro (pop. 5,813) and 2.5 miles north to U.S. 1 en route to downtown Augusta. Photo taken 07/07/04. Georgia 56 Spur (Doug Barnard Parkway) intersects Interstate 520 at the Exit 10 folded-cloverleaf interchange. The north-south roadway links the community of Nixon and Bush Field with Augusta and U.S. 1 & 25 (Fort Gordon Highway). Photo taken 07/07/04. Entering what was the final mile of Interstate 520 east on the approach to Exit 16 with Georgia 28 (Sand Bar Ferry Road). A split diamond interchange now composes the junction between the Bobby Jones Expressway with Sand Bar Ferry Road and Laney Walker Boulevard. Both of the surface streets provide access to the downtown Augusta area northwest. Photo taken 07/07/04. Traffic to both Laney Walker Boulevard and Georgia 28 (Sand Bar Ferry Road) leaves Interstate 520 eastbound at Exit 16. The two highways merge together just south of the freeway. From there Georgia 28 continues Sand Bar Ferry Road across the Savannah River into Beech Island, South Carolina and junction U.S. 278 & South Carolina 125. Photo taken 07/07/04. Interstate 520 South Carolina reassurance shield posted on the Palmetto Parkway extension of the Augusta belt line. Just one exit exists at present along the freeway extension. Photo taken 07/07/04. All Interstate 520 eastbound traffic is directed onto U.S. 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) at Exit 17. The Georgia numbering convention continues into South Carolina. U.S. 1 travels east-west from the half-diamond interchange between Schultz Hill (junction U.S. 25) and Clearwater (pop. 4,199). U.S. 78 & 278 overlap with U.S. 1 through this stretch but are not acknowledged on Interstate 520 at present. Photo taken 07/07/04. U.S. 1 shield assembly at the end of the Exit 17 off-ramp and Interstate 520. North Augusta resides just two miles to the west. Eastward U.S. 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) northbound passes through Burnettown (pop. 2,720), Graniteville, and Warrenville on the 13-mile drive to Aiken (pop. 25,337). Photo taken 07/07/04. Interstate 520 West The only westbound Interstate 520 South Carolina reassurance shield posted on the Palmetto Parkway at the Revco Road overpass. Photo taken 07/07/04. One-mile overhead for Georgia 28 (San Bar Ferry Road) and Exit 16 on Interstate 520 westbound at a railroad undercrossing. The guide sign adheres to SCDOT specifications although the upcoming split-diamond interchange resides in the state of Georgia. Exit 16 serves both San Bar Ferry Road and Laney Walker Boulevard south of downtown Augusta. Photo taken 07/07/04. Interstate 520 westbound at the Exit 3A cloverleaf ramp for U.S. 78 and 278 (Gordon Highway) westbound. The surface arterial derives its name from the nearby Fort Gordon military base. The paired federal highways travel the northern periphery of the facility en route to a parting at Thomson (pop. 6,828). A fully reflectorized overhead replaced this button copy sign by Fall 2000. Photo taken 08/05/00. The final Interstate 520 westbound reassurance shield resides between the Exit 2 (Wrightsboro Road) and the Exit 1C (Wheeler Road) interchanges. New sound barriers accompanied the widening project of 2000 for Interstate 520. Photo taken 12/15/01. The Wheeler Road partial cloverleaf interchange provides an auxiliary lane for Interstate 520 westbound. This lane becomes an exit-only affair for the Exit 1B off-ramp to Interstate 20 eastbound. Traffic utilizing this ramp see two additional interchanges (Exits 199 and 200) for the city of Augusta before entering the Palmetto State. Photo taken 12/15/01. Interstate 520 westbound at Exit 1B (Interstate 20 east). Ahead is the cloverleaf ramp of Exit 1A (Interstate 20 west) and transition into Georgia 232 (Bobby Jones Expressway). Traffic utilizing the westbound ramp to Atlanta departs the metropolitan area in three miles. Photo taken 08/05/00. Original Exit 1A sign panel of Interstate 520 westbound. At the time of this photograph, guide signs along the Bobby Jones Expressway were replaced to coincide with the 1999-2000 exit renumbering process in Georgia. The Peach State converted all Interstate sequential exit numbers to mile-posted based numbering conventions at that time; this process has since been completed. Photo taken 08/05/00. Interstate 520 draws to a close at Exit 1A (Interstate 20 west). Depicted here are the original button copy overheads for Interstate 20 east and the Interstate 520 terminus. In place at this location now is a stand-alone end Interstate 520 shield and fully reflectorized Exit 1A overhead. Ahead the Bobby Jones Expressway converts into the at-grade Georgia 232. This north-south highway ends nearby at Georgia 104 (Washington Road). Photo taken 08/05/00. Scenes pertaining to Interstate 520 U.S. 1 north & U.S. 78-278 (Jefferson Davis Highway) eastbound approaching the half-diamond interchange with Interstate 520 (Palmetto Parkway). Construction continues on the northward extension over the Jefferson Davis Highway ahead. Photo taken 07/07/04. Interstate 520 west overhead for the Palmetto Parkway on U.S. 1 north & U.S. 78-278 (Jefferson Davis Highway) east. Interstate 520 crosses the Georgia state line 1.7 miles to the south at the Savannah River. Brackets are already in place for the eastward extension back to Interstate 20 at North Augusta. Photo taken 07/07/04. Interstate 520 neutered shield assembly at the June 2004 opened eastbound on-ramp to the Palmetto Parkway at Exit 16. Interstate 520 crosses the Savannah River east of Georgia 28 (Sand Bar Ferry Road) to junction U.S. 1 in North Augusta, North Carolina (pop. 17,574). Photo taken 07/07/04. Sources: 1 - "Parkway prepares for debut." Augusta Chronicle, June 22, 2004. Page Updated July 12, 2004.