Interstate 59 in Georgia

Interstate 59 (I-59) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 445.23 miles (716.53 km) from Slidell, Louisiana to near Wildwood, Georgia. In the U.S. state of Georgia, I-59 travels 20.67 miles (33.27 km) from the Alabama state line south of Rising Fawn to its northern terminus at I-24 near Wildwood, entirely within Dade County in the far northwest corner of the state. Most of I-59's route passes through rural and mountainous terrain, with the only city it serves being Trenton. Although the Interstate does not connect with it, I-59 parallels the older U.S. Route 11 (US 11) corridor for its remaining length with indirect access via certain interchanges. Beyond I-59's northern terminus into Tennessee, I-81 takes over its role as the parallel Interstate Highway for US 11, and is connected to I-59 via I-24, I-75, and I-40. For internal Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) purposes, I-59 carries the hidden designation of unsigned State Route 406 (SR 406). The entire route of I-59 in Georgia is known as Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.

Of the four states which I-59 traverses, the segment in Georgia is the second-shortest, behind the Louisiana segment. First signed into the system in 1957, the original segment of I-59 to be added into Georgia was an 8.1-mile (13.0 km) segment from the Alabama state line to Trenton, opened in 1968. The second and final segment with a length of 11.8 miles (19.0 km), connecting Trenton to I-24, was finished in 1971, filling the rest of the route in.