U.S. Route 280
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 280 is a spur of U.S. Highway 80. It currently runs for 392 miles (631 km) from Blichton, Georgia
at U.S. Highway 80 to Birmingham, Alabama
at I-20/I-59. For much of its route, U.S. 280 travels through rural areas and smaller cities in southern Georgia
and east central Alabama
. Once the highway approaches Birmingham, it is a major suburban route. Numerous shopping centers are located on U.S. 280 throughout northern Shelby County
and southern Jefferson County
.
Through Talladega County, Alabama, U.S. 280 is known as the Jim Nabors
Highway, in honor of the Sylacauga, Alabama
, native known to the world as Gomer Pyle
. The historical designation of US-280 and SR-38 is the Florida Short Route.
For many years, US-280 and SR-38 was considered one of the more dangerous routes in Alabama, due to the number of large stretches of narrow two lane roadway leading southeastwardly from Birmingham. Work was completed in 2006 making U.S. 280 a four-lane highway throughout the entire state of Alabama. This project began in the 1970s. As a result, U.S. 280 now bypasses numerous small towns in east Alabama, including Goodwater
, Jacksons' Gap
, Camp Hill
and Waverly
.
In Georgia, US 280 from Columbus, Georgia
to I-16
, is also a GRIP corridor known as "Power Alley".
, Interstate 59
, and U.S. Route 31
in downtown Birmingham
. US 280 continues south, cosigned with US 31 along the Elton B. Stephens Expressway (locally known as the Red Mountain Expressway). The routes interchange with U.S. Route 11
and U.S. Route 78
prior to exiting the city. At Homewood
, the expressway comes to an end as US 280 separates from US 31. In Cahaba Heights
, US 280 interchanges with Interstate 459
.
US 280 is paired with unsigned State Route 38 throughout the state. The U.S. Highway has a length of 141.356 miles (227.5 km) in Alabama.
in Columbus. There it is paired with State Route 520 and United States Route 27. It maintains this designation as it passes through Fort Benning
. US 280 continues east, where it passes through Plains (the boyhood home of Jimmy Carter
) and becomes cosigned State Route 30 in Americus, GA. It maintains this designation until the route's terminus in Blichton
) Expressway in Birmingham, U.S. 31, U.S. 78 and U.S. 280 overlapped until they junctioned U.S. Route 11
at the intersection of 1st Avenue North and 24th Street.
Bryan County, Georgia
Bryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 23,417. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 30,132...
at U.S. Highway 80 to Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
at I-20/I-59. For much of its route, U.S. 280 travels through rural areas and smaller cities in southern Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and east central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Once the highway approaches Birmingham, it is a major suburban route. Numerous shopping centers are located on U.S. 280 throughout northern Shelby County
Shelby County, Alabama
Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby...
and southern Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
.
Through Talladega County, Alabama, U.S. 280 is known as the Jim Nabors
Jim Nabors
James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...
Highway, in honor of the Sylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,616.Nicknames for Sylacauga include: "The Marble City," "Buzzard's Roost" and "Sly Town"....
, native known to the world as Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim...
. The historical designation of US-280 and SR-38 is the Florida Short Route.
For many years, US-280 and SR-38 was considered one of the more dangerous routes in Alabama, due to the number of large stretches of narrow two lane roadway leading southeastwardly from Birmingham. Work was completed in 2006 making U.S. 280 a four-lane highway throughout the entire state of Alabama. This project began in the 1970s. As a result, U.S. 280 now bypasses numerous small towns in east Alabama, including Goodwater
Goodwater, Alabama
Goodwater is a city in Coosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 1,475. It is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Goodwater is located at .According to the U.S...
, Jacksons' Gap
Jacksons' Gap, Alabama
Jacksons Gap is a town in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 761. It is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Jacksons Gap is located at ....
, Camp Hill
Camp Hill, Alabama
Camp Hill is a town in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,273. It is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area. Camp Hill is the home to Lyman Ward Military Academy...
and Waverly
Waverly, Alabama
Waverly is a town in Chambers and Lee Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the foothills of the Appalachian mountains and is part of the Auburn Metropolitan Area. As of 2004, the town population was 180....
.
In Georgia, US 280 from Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
to I-16
Interstate 16
Interstate 16 , also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway or State Route 404 , is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Georgia, United States...
, is also a GRIP corridor known as "Power Alley".
Alabama
US 280 begins at an interchange with Interstate 20Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
, Interstate 59
Interstate 59
Interstate 59 is an Interstate Highway in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is near Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, at an intersection with Interstate 10 and Interstate 12, its northern terminus is at Wildwood, Georgia, at an intersection with Interstate 24.The road's...
, and U.S. Route 31
U.S. Route 31
U.S. Route 31 is a long north–south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with its northern terminus at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and southern terminus at the combined U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama...
in downtown Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. US 280 continues south, cosigned with US 31 along the Elton B. Stephens Expressway (locally known as the Red Mountain Expressway). The routes interchange with U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
and U.S. Route 78
U.S. Route 78
U.S. Highway 78 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 715 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. Between Memphis and Birmingham, Alabama, it is being upgraded to become Interstate 22....
prior to exiting the city. At Homewood
Homewood, Alabama
Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, located on the other side of Red Mountain due south of the city center. It has one of the highest population densities in Alabama. As of 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the...
, the expressway comes to an end as US 280 separates from US 31. In Cahaba Heights
Cahaba Heights, Alabama
Cahaba Heights is a neighborhood of Vestavia Hills, a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. Before annexation in 2002, it was a census-designated place ; the population was 5,203 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, US 280 interchanges with Interstate 459
Interstate 459
Interstate 459 is a bypass highway of Interstate 59 that is an alternate Interstate Highway around the southern sides of Birmingham, Alabama, Bessemer, Alabama, and several other cities and towns in Jefferson County. Interstate 459 lies entirely within Jefferson County, without exception...
.
US 280 is paired with unsigned State Route 38 throughout the state. The U.S. Highway has a length of 141.356 miles (227.5 km) in Alabama.
Georgia
US 280 begins in Georgia at the state's border with AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in Columbus. There it is paired with State Route 520 and United States Route 27. It maintains this designation as it passes through Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. US 280 continues east, where it passes through Plains (the boyhood home of Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
) and becomes cosigned State Route 30 in Americus, GA. It maintains this designation until the route's terminus in Blichton
History
Prior to the completion of the Elton B. Stephens (Red MountainRed Mountain
-Canada:* Red Mountain , a mountain near Rossland, British Columbia** Red Mountain Resort, a ski resort on Red Mountain in Rossland, also known as Red Resort* Mount Price, a volcano in British Columbia, Canada formerly known as Red Mountain...
) Expressway in Birmingham, U.S. 31, U.S. 78 and U.S. 280 overlapped until they junctioned U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
at the intersection of 1st Avenue North and 24th Street.