A 38-mile long major connecting route in northeastern Georgia, S.R. 369 provides a highway mostly unbroken by cities and towns along its length. It extends from eastern Cherokee County at S.R. 20 to I-985 northeast of Gainesville. S.R. 369 also serves Canton, provides access to Lake Lanier and provides a by-pass for congested Cumming to the south.

Extending through Forsyth and Hall Counties as well as Cherokee, the highway also is a significant trucking route, because there are no adequate alternatives otherwise in this part of the state. The most unique feature about S.R. 369 is the large cantilever truss bridge known as Browns Bridge crossing the Chattahoochee River portion of Lake Lanier.

S.R. 369 is known by several local names. In Cherokee County, the entire route is known as Hightower Road. In Forsyth County, the road is known as Matt Highway west of S.R. 9 and Browns Bridge Road east of S.R. 9. In Hall County, the highway is known as Browns Bridge Road up to S.R. 13 then as Jesse Jewell Parkway from there to where it ends at I-985.

HISTORY

S.R. 369 was first created in 1971 out of the northernmost segment of S.R. 141. This new highway followed all that had been S.R. 141 from S.R. 13 in Gainesville to Old Federal Road in Forsyth County, but unlike the former S.R. 141, it also included a westward extension to GA 20. As a result, S.R. 369 completed what had been a broken segment of GA 141.

S.R. 369 Connector, today known as Bannister Road, existed until 1986 connecting the Matt and Silver City communities in northern Forsyth County.

While most improvements were made to the route as S.R. 141, S.R. 369 work included a widening in Gainesville and an extension in 2000 along what had been S.R. 13. The extension along S.R. 13 went from the current intersection with S.R. 13 (Atlanta Highway) north to the former terminus of S.R. 13 at I-985/S.R. 365. This change was made to address the fact that S.R. 369 had emerged as a much more important route than S.R. 13, which was maintaining this number simply because it was the former state overlap and old alignment of U.S. 23.

S.R. 369 also had one banner route, S.R. 369 Connector. Located in Forsyth County, GA 369 Connector is today locally known as Bannister Road (C.R. 741). The former route extended from S.R. 369 (Matt Highway) in the Matt community northeast to S.R. 9 in the Silver City community over a distance of 3.4 miles. The highway survived fourteen years, first commissioned in 1972 and decommissioned in 1986.

PHOTO GALLERY

	Approaching Browns Bridge on GA 369 eastbound. Browns Bridge replaced a now submerged covered bridge in 1957, not that I am complaining. This beautiful cantilever truss is a real treat when traveling along the route between GA 400 and Gainesville. Photo taken January 28, 2006.
	A more side-angle shot of Browns Bridge. Photo taken January 28, 2006.
	I walked back along the edge of the lake for a better side view of the bridge. Photo taken January 28, 2006.
	Combined old-style junction/directional arrow assembly on GA 53 (McEver Road) southbound approaching GA 369. Photo taken January 28, 2006.
	This sign, posted at the northern terminus of former S.R. 369 Connector, is tody the only evidence that the route ever existed. Photo taken December 31, 2004.

TERMINI PHOTO GALLERY

Western Terminus: GA 20 eleven miles east of Canton. All photos taken April 23, 2005.

	End signage, mounted opposite S.R. 369.
	Directional assembly posted eastbound on S.R. 20. The end signage in the previous photo is directly behind it.
	Also on eastbound S.R. 20 is this junction assembly.

Eastern Terminus: I-985/GA 365 north of Gainesville. All photos taken December 27, 2004.

	This end assembly on S.R. 369 eastbound is posted just to the east of I-985/S.R. 365. The route continues as Old Cornelia Highway, which was U.S. 23 and GA 13 until 1981. The easternmost part of S.R. 369 also follows Old U.S. 23, which remained S.R. 13 for decades until after 2000
	This overhead assembly is found at the end of the final ramp on I-985.
	On I-985 northbound is this exit signage mounted at the beginning of the ramp.