Georgia Highway 255

Winding through the northeastern foothills, GA 255 takes a very peculiar route through White and Habersham Counties. Though the highway is signed north-south, the route actually changes directions several times along its course. Most of this is due to GA 255 being a rough combination of two roads that otherwise have no relation. In all, the entire 19.6 mile route is rather haphazard, but it is justified somewhat with its cutoff route, known as GA 255 Alternate, the highway's only banner route and an attempt to straighten out and somewhat justify the zig zag course of the highway. GA 255 Alt is also locally known as Ben T. Huiet Highway.

Furthermore, GA 255 contains a significant 4.9 mile overlap with GA 17 while GA 255 Alternate cuts that nearly in half. GA 255 Alt is 3.3 miles long itself and is located entirely in Habersham County. In all, GA 255 Alt cuts off four miles from the length of the highway. The two separate non-overlapped sections of GA 255 consists of 7.5 miles on the northern Stovall Mill portion and 7.2 miles on the Blue Creek portion. The route also crosses the White/Habersham County line three times.

Along with hills, mountains in the distance and much pastoral scenery, GA 255 also passes through the historic Sautee community with shops and historic homesteads bringing local culture into once-thriving Nacoochee Valley. The highway also passes by the Stovall Mill Covered Bridge located over Chickamauga Creek, which originally served GA 255 until the 1950's. The covered bridge has a famous history in that it was featured in the 1951 film I'd Climb The Highest Mountain, starring Susan Hayward. The area around the highway is encompassed by the Chattahoochee River basin near the source of the river. Nearby Helen, Unicoi State Park, Moccasin Creek State Park, Lake Burton and the Chattahoochee National Forest also make this road a popular weekend getaway.

The origins of GA 255 trace back to the late 1940's. Originally an unpaved road connecting GA 17 in Sautee to GA 197 in Batesville along part of a historic wagon trail that once extended all the way to Virginia, the early route was partially paved in 1953 and finally fully paved and reconstructed by 1959, which included the relocation of the highway from the Stovall Mill Covered Bridge to the present-day concrete bridge. Totaling 8 miles in length, the route evolved from an east-west route to today's zig-zag when Blue Creek Road was added to the mileage of the route in 1960, creating the overlap with GA 17. The Blue Creek Road portion was already paved when added that year.

In the manic state takeover and road building era of the late 1950's and early 1960's, the final piece of today's GA 255 went into place in 1963 when GA 255 Alt was added cutting off part of the lengthy overlap on GA 255. The oddity of this addition was the GA 255 was not a major route in the first place and the need for such a route was somewhat questionable. To all appearances, while the independent parts of GA 255 evolved from existing local roads, GA 255 Alt was actually a new road when it opened. As a result, GA 255 Alt is more direct, straight and better constructed than mainline GA 255, serving to cut off four miles of the total length of the highway.

After the road was completed, GA 255 has seen no changes other than bridge widenings along the Blue Creek Road and another on the GA 17 overlap section of the highway. With the exception of an eventual bridge replacement over Chickamauga Creek, it is doubtful that any further changes will be made to the route aside from decommissioning part or all of the route in the future. Though the route does serve weekend tourist traffic, the route is otherwise largely a local road.

Georgia 255 Termini Gallery

Photos below are ends for both GA 255 and GA 255 Alternate. All photos below by J.T. Legg taken April 16, 2005.

Georgia 255 Ends Photos

Southern Terminus: GA 115 in the Leaf community east of Cleveland

Photos include end signage, directional assembly on eastbound GA 115, first northbound reassurance shield and junction assembly on eastbound GA 115. The assemblies in the second and fourth photos were recently replaced. Older pics of these assemblies as they were are not included here.

Northern Terminus: GA 197 in the Batesville community northwest of Clarkesville

The first photo is the ends assembly with the historic Batesville store on the left. The second photo of the directional assembly, looking southbound on GA 197, also shows the store. The third photo of the first reassurence shield is the sole remaining old-style assembly around this intersection. The last photo is the junction assembly southbound on GA 197 with the whole Batesville community in view.

Georgia 255 Alternate Ends Photos

Southern Terminus: GA 17/255 between Clarkesville and Helen

The first photo is of a recently replaced directional assembly looking west on northbound GA 17/255. The redundant "Alternate" banner was recently installed as well as a majority of the signs here replaced. Note the new-style GA 17 sign. The second photo of the first reassurance shield was also a recently replaced sign looking northbound. The final photo is of the junction assembly on westbound GA 17/255. Note the brown sign underneath with the afterthought arrow. No end signage exists on the south end of this route.

Northern Terminus: GA 255 between the Sautee and Batesville communities

With a chicken house in the rear, the GA 255 ends assembly features old and new. The cracking ALT 255 sign is actually quite interesting, but also proves why it is good that engineer grade reflective sheeting is mostly being phased out. The second photo features the directional assembly on southbound GA 255 looking west. Note that both are old-style shields. The third photo (complete with bikers) is the first reassurance shield southbound. The final assembly is an old-style junction assembly looking east on GA 255 northbound.