Skip to main content

Former alignments of GA 139 and 314 around Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

When an airport expands, the growing facility usually takes a lot with it.  And in the case of the early 2000's runway expansion of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, many changes were made to the highway system surrounding it.  Both Georgia Highways 139 and 314 have not been immune to the airport's expansion.  The first changes occurred in the early to mid 1970's.  That expansion of the airport led to a rerouting of GA 139 and a change to the terminus of GA 314.  The 1978 GDOT map (above right) shows the results of the 1970s expansion.
 
Nearly 30 years later, another runway expansion would alter the southern grounds of the airport.  Along with other surface streets, GA 139 and 314 were greatly impacted.  GA 139 now snakes its way through the airport grounds while GA 314 has been scaled back to end at GA 139 just inside the Perimeter (Interstate 285).  The changes to both routes and various surface streets have left interesting pockets of former alignments of the two state highways within the airport's grounds.  Back in 2004-2006, John Krakoff documented some of the surprises that were still left standing.

Former Northern Terminus of GA 314:
Looking North down former GA 314 at its prior northern terminus at what was once GA 139.  The fence to the right is the current limits of the runway expansion. (John Krakoff)


What was at one time the first GA 314 shield southbound.  As you can see, there's not much left of Highway 314.  Running just below the horizon in this photo is the realigned GA 139. (John Krakoff)
At the old northern terminus of GA 314, you are no longer able to take a right turn onto what once was GA 139 South. (John Krakoff)
A zoomed in shot of a leftover GA 139 South shield. (John Krakoff)


Leftover signage:
An archaic Stop Ahead warning sign (John Krakoff)
A set of leftover GA 314 shields. (John Krakoff)

An aging 'JCT' GA 314 shield found along a surface street. (John Krakoff)
Current Northern GA 314 Terminus:
A 'JCT' South GA 314 shield is found along GA 139 North. (John Krakoff)

The 'END' GA 314 assembly marking the new northern terminus of GA 314.  The expanded airport runway is located right behind the sign and fence. (John Krakoff)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...

Trans-Sierra Highway Passes; Interstate 80 Donner Summit

Back in 2016 I attempted as many Trans-Sierra Highway Passes as I could upon my return to California.  I started with Interstate 80 over Donner Summit during the late winter on the way to Lake Tahoe and Virginia City. Donner Summit is actually located north of the 7,056 foot Donner Pass.  Donner Summit has a listed height of 7,277 feet above sea level which is listed at the rest area on the eastbound lanes heading towards Truckee. As I-80 begins to descend from Donner Summit there is an overlook of Donner Lake and Donner Pass. US 40, the Lincoln Highway, First Trans-Continental Railroad, and the Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Railroad all crossed Donner Pass on various different alignments to the south of Donner Summit. Previously I wrote a blog about Donner Pass which includes a history of early pioneer crossings, the Donner Party, the Dutch Flat & and Donner Road, the Lincoln Highway, and of course US 40 which can be found here: Old US Route 40 on Don...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...