A busy part of U.S. 411 indeed, the highway from U.S. 41 in Cartersville to U.S. 27 in Rome that is today GA 20 originally was overlapped with another route, GA 344. Extending for xx miles through Bartow and Floyd Counties, former GA 344 will in the future be upgraded to a full freeway in conjunction with a new connector to accomodate traffic from I-75 to one of Georgia's largest cities.

GA 344 is located in the hill and valley region in the northwestern part of the state. The highway runs near and crosses Etowah River along its length and is generally still remote even with the Atlanta sprawl working into the area. An area that was part of the Civil War and Sherman's march as well as part of the old Cherokee Nation, the area is full of local history and lore. Nearby Barnsley Gardens in Kingston is a major local attraction aside from the two cities on each end of the highway.

One of the very first four-lane highways in Georgia, GA 344 became a new route for U.S. 411 between Cartersville and Rome in 1962. The previous U.S. 411, which had at one time been part of US 41W, was a hilly and winding road through Kingston. When the new route was built, the original overlap with GA 20 was retained along the old route through Kingston. As a result, the new highway needed a state designation, thus the highway became GA 344.

This 1977 map above shows GA 344 and GA 20 before GA 344 was decommissioned in favor of GA 20 along U.S. 411. Note that both ends of GA 344 end at interchanges (1977 GDOT Map).

On June 16, 1977, GA 344 ceased to exist when GA 20 was reunited with U.S. 411 on the new route with GA 293 extended along the former U.S. 411/GA 20 through Kingston. This change was practical since GA 20 is generally a major highway, while GA 20 through Kingston was not after U.S. 411 was moved.