Georgia State Route 53

Georgia State Route 53 in Calhoun

From its western terminus at the Alabama state line, SR 53 travels east through Floyd County, co-signed with US 411. After a brief concurrency with SR 100 in Cave Spring, US 411 and SR 53 continue northeast to the community of Six Mile. There, the routes become co-signed with US 27 and SR 1, and all four travel north to Rome. In Rome, US 411 departs to the east, and US 27/SR 1/SR 53 travel north, joined by SR 20. Just to the east of downtown, SR 53 departs from the other routes and travels northeast, running parallel to the Oostanaula River and through Shannon into Gordon County. South of Calhoun, the route arcs to the east, intersecting US 41 and I-75 before continuing east. After a brief second concurrency with US 411 and SR 61 in Fairmount, SR 53 continues east into Pickens County. West of Jasper the route becomes co-signed with SR 5/SR 515, and travels southeast to SR 108. SR 53 departs SR 5 and SR 515 and continues east, now co-signed with SR 108. SR 108 ends in Tate at the same crossroads as SR 53 Business, but SR 53 continues east into Dawson County to Dawsonville.[2]

SR 9 southbound/SR 53 westbound approaching the traffic circle around the Dawson County Courthouse in Dawsonville

After a brief concurrency with SR 9 around the courthouse in Dawsonville, SR 53 continues to the southeast, intersecting US 19/SR 400 southeast of Dawsonville. SR 53 continues southeast into Forsyth County, then turns to the northeast near the eastern terminus of SR 306. After running northeast into Hall County and crossing the Chestatee River branch of Lake Lanier, the route again turns to the southeast, then crosses over the Chattahoochee River branch of Lake Lanier. West of Gainesville, SR 53 turns to the southwest, then turns sharply to the southeast near the community of Oakwood, and continues southeast, intersecting I-985. The route continues to head southeast, briefly becoming co-signed with SR 211, then crosses into Jackson County and intersects I-85 in Braselton. This section of the route passes by both Road Atlanta and Lanier National Speedway. Crossing into Barrow County, SR 53 becomes co-signed with SR 11 and SR 211 in the northern portion of Winder. The three routes continue south into downtown Winder. There, SR 211 departs to the northwest, and SR 11 and SR 53 continue southeast, now also co-signed with US 29 Bus and SR 8. Southeast of downtown Winder, SR 11 departs, and US 29 Bus/SR 8/SR 53 continue to the junction with US 29 and SR 316, where US 29 Bus terminates, SR 8 continues east, and SR 53 continues southeast into Oconee County. After crossing US 78, SR 53 assumes an easterly routing, crossing US 129/US 441/SR 24, before meeting its eastern terminus at US 129 Bus./US 441 Bus./SR 15/SR 24 Bus. in downtown Watkinsville.[2]

The Georgia Department of Transportation average annual daily traffic (AADT) numbers for the year 2011 show a variety of daily averages across SR 53. In Floyd County, average traffic loads west of Rome hover around 4,000 vehicles per day, with a maximum of 5,000 in Cave Spring. Those numbers increase rapidly as the route approaches Rome, increasing to an average of about 17,000, with a peak of 30,000 in downtown Rome, where SR 53 is concurrent with US 27, SR 1, and SR 20. The average loads dip back down to around 14,000 vehicles north of Rome, and hit a low of around 9,000 vehicles as the route crosses into Gordon County. The vehicle load fluctuates back up into a range from 12,000 to 23,000 in and around Calhoun and approaching I-75, and drops rapidly again east of I-75, reaching lows of just above 4,000 average vehicles. Briefly increasing again to 8,000 in Fairmount, the route carries around 4,000 vehicles per day between Fairmount and SR 5/SR 515.

In and around Jasper, where SR 53 is concurrent with SR 5/SR 515, the route carries between 14,000 and 24,000 vehicles, before rapidly decreasing again to an average load of around 5,000 while concurrent with SR 108. SR 53 then sees the lowest average vehicle load on its way across north Georgia between Pickens County and Dawson County, where the averages drop to around 2,500 vehicles per day. Traffic picks up again west of Dawsonville, and reaches numbers of around 13,000 where the route feeds Dawson County and Forsyth County traffic to SR 400. Once the route crosses into Hall County and approaches Gainesville, numbers increase yet again to around 23,000 vehicles per day north and into Gainesville, and reach nearly 28,000 vehicles as the route feeds I-985. The averages drop rapidly south of I-985 to around 7,000 as the route approaches Jackson County, and the average only increases again to around 10,000 as SR 53 feeds I-85 and then approaches Winder in Barrow County. South and east of Winder, averages drop down to between 3,500 and 5,000 vehicles per day, but then increase one last time to just under 16,000 in Watkinsville, as the route reaches its eastern terminus.[2]

The following portions of SR 53 are part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense:

• From the southern end of the US 27/SR 1 concurrency, in Six Mile, to SR 1 Loop in the northeastern part of Rome[3]
• From SR 53 Spur, southeast of Calhoun, to the western end of the SR 211 concurrency, in Chestnut Mountain[4][5]
• From the western end of the SR 11 and SR 211 concurrencies, in Winder, to US 29/SR 316, west of Statham[4][5]

State Route 53 Spur (SR 53 Spur) is a 4.489-mile-long (7.224 km) spur route of SR 53 that is partially within the city limits of Calhoun. It continues north and northeast into downtown Calhoun as the mainline of SR 53 makes a sharp turn to the east and southeast and bypasses most of Calhoun to its south. The spur terminates at an intersection with US 41/SR 3 (Wall street) in the heart of Calhoun. On the east side of this intersection is the Gordon County Courthouse. In 2021, SR 53 Spur was extended all the way to the S Calhoun Bypass. The western end used to be at a junction with SR 53 and SR 53 Spur.

The entire length of SR 53 Spur is part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense.[4]

The entire route is in Calhoun, Gordon County.

mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
0.000	0.000	SR 53 (South Calhoun Bypass east / Rome Road west) to I-75 – Rome, Fairmount, Atlanta	Western terminus of SR 53 spur and the southern Calhoun bypass; roadway continues as Rome Road South West (SR 53 west); SR 53 takes on the Rome Road South West name
4.278	6.885	SR 136 Conn. west (South River Street) – LaFayette	Western end of SR 136 Conn. concurrency
4.489	7.224	Main Street (US 41/SR 3)	Eastern end of SR 136 Conn. concurrency; eastern terminus of SR 53 Spur and SR 136 Conn.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

State Route 53 Business is a 6.434 miles (10.355 km) business branch of SR 53, which continues east into downtown Jasper as the main route of SR 53 turns southeast, concurrent with SR 5 and SR 515. In the heart of Jasper, SR 53 Bus turns southeast and utilizes what used to be the original routing of SR 5 through Jasper, which was re-designated as SR 5A in 1982.[26] SR 53 Business meets the main SR 53 route again in Tate, where SR 53 is concurrent with SR 108. SR 53 Bus follows the original routing of SR 53 through Jasper.

State Route 53 Connector (SR 53 Conn.) is a 3.9-mile-long (6.3 km) connector route of SR 53. It travels west-to-east in the western part of Gainesville. The highway is a connector route between the SR 53 mainline, which turns sharply southwest and then south, and SR 60, which in turn connects downtown Gainesville with I-985/SR 365. It was concurrent with former SR 889

The entire length of SR 53 Conn. is part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense.[28]

The entire route is in Gainesville, Hall County.

}}

mi[27]	km	Destinations	Notes
0.0	0.0	SR 53 (Dawsonville Highway north / McEver Road south) – Oakwood, Dawsonville	Western terminus
1.8	2.9	SR 60 north / SR 365 Bus. begins (Jesse Jewell Parkway) / SR 369 – Oakwood, Cornelia	Western end of SR 60 concurrency
2.3	3.7	To SR 11 Conn. (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard)	Former SR 11 Conn.
3.7	6.0	I-985 (US 23 / SR 365 / SR 419) – Atlanta, Cornelia	I-985 exit 20
3.9	6.3	SR 60 south (Candler Road) / SR 365 Bus. ends – Candler	Eastern end of SR 60 concurrency; eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus