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Georgia State Route 400 (always known locally as Georgia 400 or just 400, or by its nickname, the "Alpharetta Autobahn") is a highway in the U.S. state of Georgia, muliplexed with U.S. 19 from exit 4B until its terminus just south of Dahlonega. Georgia 400 goes from Atlanta, at I-85, to Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Forsyth County, Dawson County, and Dahlonega. Like the interstate highways, it is a limited access road (with exit ramps instead of intersections), but unlike the interstates (which were renumbered by the GDOT in 2000), the exit numbers do not indicate mileage: they still go up sequentially one-by-one. Once 400 passes exit 17 (S.R. 306), it changes from a limited access highway into an at-grade divided highway.
Between Interstate 85 and Interstate 285, Georgia 400 is designated "T. Harvey Mathis Parkway"; upon reaching the Perimeter and beyond, the highway is designated "Turner McDonald Parkway".
History
Original Portion (I-285 to S.R. 306)
The section north of I-285 opened in various stages from 1971 to 1981 and was subsequently widened in 1989 from its original four lane configuration to eight lanes between I-285 and Holcomb Bridge Road. The widening projects were necessitated by the massive growth that Georgia 400 brought to northern Fulton County and Forsyth County. In December 2005, the Georgia Department of Transportation began widening the section from Holcomb Bridge Road to Windward Parkway from three to four lanes in the northbound direction and from two to three lanes from Windward Parkway to McFarland Road. Southbound, the highway is being widened to three lanes between McFarland Road and Holcomb Bridge Road. In addition, sound barrier walls and a concrete divider in the median are also being added. The project is expected to be finished by September 2007.Toll Portion (I-85 to I-285)
The southern section of Georgia 400 (from I-285 to I-85) was built last, and is only one of two toll roads in Georgia, the other being the F.J. Torras Causeway between Brunswick and St. Simons Island in southern Georgia. Opened to traffic on August 1, 1993, the southern section of Georgia 400 was fought bitterly by Buckhead residents, who eventually ended up having their homes and large parts of their neighborhoods destroyed for the construction. Many remaining residents now live on dead end streets with significant noise pollution. Existing exits were renumbered up by four to accommodate the extension, which has a single toll plaza in the middle of its length. Contrary to public belief, the bonds that funded the construction of Georgia 400 south of I-285 will not be paid off until 2011. There is also currently no direct access from Georgia 400 southbound to I-85 northbound or vice versa, except by a confusing route via Sidney Marcus Boulevard. In addition, the North Line for Atlanta's MARTA system was constructed in the median from the Glenridge Connector to south of Lenox Road and was opened on June 8, 1996.The Georgia 400 toll plaza, operated by the State Road and Tollway Authority, collects tolls in both the northbound and southbound directions. Each direction has two open-road toll lanes, which collect tolls at highway speeds using the Georgia Cruise Card electronic tag, and seven gated toll lanes which accept either cash or Cruise Cards. The toll facility handles a total of approximately 120,000 vehicles per day. About 37% of transactions are paid via Cruise Card.
At one time, Georgia 400 was to connect to Interstate 675 in DeKalb County; however, residents in northern DeKalb County did not want the highway to cut through their neighborhoods and had the idea killed.
Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.
- Atlanta
- Cumming
- Dahlonega
Exit list
The following exits are listed south to north and are numbered sequentially.
| Exits | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate 85 south TO I-75.svg Interstate 75 | ||
| 1 | Interstate 85 north, Georgia 236.svg S.R. 236, Georgia 237.svg S.R. 237, Georgia 13.svg S.R. 13southbound exit; no northbound access | |
| 2 | S.R. 237, Georgia 141.svg S.R. 141||
| Toll Plaza | $0.50 for a 2 axle vehicle; $1.50 for 3 axles + an additional $0.50 for each axle over 3. | |
| 3 | Glenridge Perimeter Connector Old S.R. 407 Loop | I-285 east exit
|
| 4A | Interstate 285 east||
| 4B | Interstate 285 west, US 19.svg U.S. 19 south||
| 5 | Abernathy Road Dunwoody; Sandy Springs | split into 5A (Dunwoody) and 5B (Sandy Springs) northbound only |
| 5C | North Springs MARTA Station; MARTA parking | southbound exit only; no northbound access |
| 6 | S.R. 9 (Roswell Road)||
| 7 | S.R. 140 (Holcomb Bridge Road)split into 7A (Norcross) and 7B (Roswell) northbound only | |
| 8 | Mansell Road Alpharetta North Point Mall; MARTA Park & Ride | |
| 9 | Haynes Bridge Road Alpharetta North Point Mall | |
| 10 | S.R. 120 (Old Milton Parkway)||
| 11 | Windward Parkway Alpharetta | Xpress Park & Ride |
| 12 | McFarland Road Alpharetta | split 12A (east) and 12B (west) northbound only |
| 13 | S.R. 141 (Peachtree Parkway)||
| 14 | S.R. 20Fall 2006 (estimated): Will be split into separate east- and west-bound exit ramps northbound only | |
| 15 | Bald Ridge Marina Road Cumming Bald Ridge Marina | Cumming Fairgrounds |
| 16 | Pilgrim Mill Road Cumming Lake Sidney Lanier | |
| 17 | S.R. 306 (Keith Bridge Road)end limited access | |
Dawson County
Lumpkin County
Georgia state highways | Toll roads in Georgia | Roswell, Georgia
References
External Links
"Georgia State Route 400"
