Georgia State Route 41

While Georgia is most famous for U.S. 41, another state route bearing the same number runs a good ways to the west. Unlike the iconic highway, GA 41 simply serves towns in extremely rural parts of Georgia running from the west central to southwestern corners of the state. Some areas along the route are among the most remote in the state.

Overall, GA 41 extends for 135 miles through Calhoun, Randolph, Terrell, Webster, Marion, Talbot, Meriwether and Coweta Counties. Major towns and county seats served by the highway include Greenville, Warm Springs, Manchester, Talbotton, Buena Vista, Preston, Shellman and Morgan. One short banner route also joins GA 41 in Buena Vista, GA 41 Connector. GA 41 Connector extends 0.2 miles from GA 41 to GA 26 running west of downtown Buena Vista.

GA 41 also has five portions overlapped with other highways. The most significant is where GA 41 serves as a primary state overlap for U.S. 27 Alternate from its north end in Moreland to Warm Springs, covering 29 miles. Other overlaps include an 0.9 mile stretch of GA 85, an 8.5 mile portion of U.S. 80/GA 22 from Talbotton to Geneva, a 1.2 mile overlap with GA 137 north from Buena Vista and an 0.9 mile overlap with U.S. 82/GA 50 north of Shellman.

As one of the original master-planned state routes, GA 41 originally was commissioned as a highway from Moreland to Greenville to Chipley (now Pine Mountain) in 1920. Part of that plan was the current route and part is now GA 18. This was quickly changed so that by 1921, GA 41 extended south from Moreland along the route it does today, except that the highway ended in Buena Vista. In addition, this was all paved south from Moreland to the Talbot County line as early as 1929.

The late 1930's saw GA 41 north of Geneva mostly paved except for a portion north of Talbotton. The new paving also included a stretch north of Buena Vista. In the meantime, GA 41 was also extended south, this time to Shellman, with the highway ending in the town itself. By 1939, GA 41 also saw a brief extension north into Atlanta on what is today GA 154, GA 70 and Old GA 154 along Cascade Road and Cascade Avenue in Atlanta. GA 154 was designated on the former route in the 1940's.

GA 41 in 1939. The gray lines north and south of GA 41 near Atlanta all later became other state routes including GA 70, 139 and 166. GA 41 today is mostly followed by parts of GA 70 and 154.

By the mid-1940's, all paving north of Geneva was completed, a portion around Shellman south of U.S. 80/GA 50 was fully paved and GA 41 was extended to the length it is today. By 1952, the Preston to Weston section was paved. By 1953, paving was largely complete except for sections in northern Randolph and northern Calhoun Counties. By 1955, GA 41 was fully paved.

Because of the rural and remote regions that GA 41 passes through, the route has seen little major change. Of the most significant was when the only banner route of GA 41, GA 41 Connector, joined GA 41 in Buena Vista in 1967. Also, the section overlapped with U.S. 80 was widened through Geneva in the early 1990's. Otherwise, the highway itself has remained pretty constant with the exception of cosmetic improvements to the route itself.

Georgia 41 Termini Gallery

All photos below by S.E.B.

Georgia 41 Ends Photos

Southern Terminus: GA 45 north of Morgan

No photos available

Northern Terminus: U.S. 29/GA 14 in Moreland

End signage assembly and first southbound reassurance shield. Here the route overlaps U.S. 27 Alt and the end is along a continuous route. Photos taken January 3, 2005.

Georgia 41 Connector Ends Photos

Southern Terminus: GA 26 in Buena Vista

No photos available

Northern Terminus: GA 41/137 in Buena Vista

End signage assembly and directional assembly on GA 41/137 northbound. Photos taken January 3, 2005.