Jimmy DeLoach Parkway

Jimmy DeLoach Parkway
Route information
Length:	8.8 mi (14.2 km)
Major junctions
West end:	US 80 / SR 17 / SR 17 Conn. / SR 26 in Bloomingdale
	I‑95 in Savannah
East end:	SR 17 / SR 21 Alt. / SR 21 / SR 30 in Port Wentworth
Location
Counties:	Chatham
Highway system
Georgia State Routes Interstate U.S. State Former

Jimmy DeLoach Parkway is a 8.8-mile-long (14.2 km) parkway in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located a few miles northwest of the main part of Savannah. The parkway has full concurrency with SR 17. It is a road that links US 80/SR 17 Conn./SR 26 in Bloomingdale with SR 21 Alt./SR 21/SR 30 in Port Wentworth. It also has an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95). It was named after Jimmy DeLoach, former mayor of Garden City and Chatham County commissioner for District 7.

The parkway is planned to be extended along part of Bloomingdale Road to I-16 and have a concurrency with SR 17 for the entire length of the extension. SR 17's former path is planned to become SR 17 Conn. It is planned to be designated as SR 1251 until it opens. Construction began in 2018.

Route description

The parkway starts at an at-grade intersection with US 80/SR 17/SR 26 and the northern terminus of SR 17 Conn. in the central part of Bloomingdale. SR 17 joins the highway then heads to the northeast, and then curves to the north-northeast. It makes a gradual curve to the east-northeast. Just west of Towler Road, it begins a curve to the northeast and then leaves Bloomingdale and enters the northern part of Pooler. After curving back to the east-northeast, the parkway leaves Pooler just east of an intersection with the southern terminus of Triple B Trail and enters the far northwestern part of Savannah. It curves to the northeast and then to the southeast just before an interchange with exit 106 on Interstate 95 (I-95). The parkway then begins a curve back to the east-northeast just before an intersection with Crossroads Parkway. It travels on a bridge over some railroad tracks of Norfolk Southern Railway and then on another bridge over some railroad tracks of CSX. Just east of an intersection with the northern terminus of Portside Court and the southern terminus of Logistics Way, the parkway curves to the southeast. A short distance later, it curves back to the east-northeast. On the Savannah–Port Wentworth line, it travels on a bridge over some railroad tracks of CSX and SR 21/SR 30. The parkway then enters Port Wentworth proper and has an interchange with SR 21 Alternate (SR 21 Alt.; Sonny Dixon Interchange / Jimmy DeLoach Connector). Here, SR 17 and the parkway's mainline ends, and the roadway continues as the connector.

History

Between the beginning of 1986 and the beginning of 1990, the roadway that would eventually become part of the parkway was established as Godley Road between US 80/SR 26 in the northern part of Bloomingdale to SR 21/SR 30 in the central part of Port Wentworth. By the beginning of 1993, a revamping of this road was proposed from SR 17 in the southwestern part of Bloomingdale to SR 21/SR 30 just north of its eastern terminus. However, by the beginning of 1997, this plan was canceled. In 2017, it was planned to extended Jimmy DeLoach Parkway from its current southern terminus at US 80/SR 17/SR 26, partially along the path of Bloomingdale Road (from SR 17's current southern terminus at I-16 to just south of its intersection with the northern terminus of Pine Barren Road). Construction on the extension began in 2018.

Namesake

James "Jimmy" DeLoach was a Democrat. He served three terms as Mayor of Garden City from 1973 to 1979. In 1980, he was elected to a four-year term as Chatham County commissioner for District 7. He was re-elected in 1984 and 1988. He did not run for re-election in 1992. His son Eddie, who is a Republican, succeeded him; and went on to become the 66th Mayor of Savannah.

Future

The at-grade intersection at Jimmy DeLoach Parkway's current western terminus is to be converted into a full diamond interchange. The extension of the parkway is planned to be designated as SR 1251 until it is opened. The former alignment of SR 17 is planned to be redesignated as SR 17 Conn. Also, the eastern end of Osteen Road, which lies on the right-of-way of the extension, is to be shifted to the west.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Chatham County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Bloomingdale			I‑16 (Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway / SR 404) / SR 17 Conn. begins / south – Macon, Savannah	Future western terminus; southern terminus of SR 17 Conn.; northern terminus of Little Neck Road; western end of SR 17 Conn. concurrency; southern terminus of Bloomingdale Road; I-16 exit 152
			SR 17 Conn. north (Bloomingdale Road north)	Eastern end of SR 17 Conn. concurrency; future southern terminus of Bloomingdale Road
	0.0	0.0	US 80 / SR 17 north / SR 17 Conn. south / SR 26	Current western terminus; at-grade intersection; western end of SR 17 concurrency; northern terminus of SR 17 Conn.; future diamond interchange
Savannah	6.3– 6.5	10.1– 10.5	I‑95 (SR 405) – Savannah, Florence	I-95 exit 106
Port Wentworth	8.5– 8.8	13.7– 14.2	SR 17 ends / SR 21 Alt. / south to SR 21 (SR 30)	Southern terminus of SR 17; eastern end of SR 17 concurrency; eastern terminus of Jimmy DeLoach Parkway; northern terminus of Jimmy DeLoach Connector; Sonny Dixon Interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

See also

• U.S. roads portal
• Georgia (U.S. state) portal