Cobb Cloverleaf
| Cobb Cloverleaf | |
|---|---|
| Emory Parrish Interchange | |
 Cobb Cloverleaf viewed from the Cobb Galleria | |
| Location | |
| Cobb County, Georgia | |
| Coordinates | 33°53′24″N 84°27′40″W / 33.890°N 84.461°W |
| Roads at junction | |
| Construction | |
| Type | Cloverleaf interchange |
| Maintained by | Georgia Department of Transportation |
The Cobb Cloverleaf is the name given to an interchange in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highways at the interchange are Interstate 75 (I-75; unsigned State Route 401) and I-285 (unsigned SR 407). The interchange is located in Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta, at a point just east of Smyrna, north of Vinings, and west of Sandy Springs. Despite the name, the interchange has only two cloverleaf-style ramps. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has posted signage on I-75 referring to the interchange as the Emory Parrish Interchange.
Description
Signage on I-75 southbound directs traffic onto I-285 westbound toward Birmingham and Tampa. Overhead signage also indicates that the I-285 exit to/from US 41/SR 3 (Cobb Parkway) and the I-75 exits to/from Cumberland Boulevard and Windy Hill Road are also part of the overall Cobb Cloverleaf interchange.
SunTrust Park is along the northwest corner of the interchange. The headquarters and studios of The Weather Channel are in an office building along the northeast corner of the interchange. To the south and east of the interchange are the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, home of the Atlanta Opera; and the Cobb Galleria, a shopping, convention, and hotel complex.[1]
History
I-75 was under construction from US 41/SR 3 in the northwest part of Atlanta to its northern interchange with I-285.[2][3] In 1966, it was open from Forest Park to its northern interchange with I-285.[4][5]
I-285 was completed and opened in sections, with the entire highway officially opened on October 15, 1969 at a cost of $90 million, as a four-lane freeway throughout (two lanes each way).
The original exit that was put in place when I-285 was built was indeed a true cloverleaf interchange, but after much growth and construction, the present configuration has emerged. The existing exit configuration includes provisions for an as-yet unbuilt flyover ramp to replace a cloverleaf ramp from northbound I-75 to westbound I-285; a portion of the unbuilt ramp exists as a ramp stub from Cumberland Boulevard to I-75 north. The new interchange was to help traffic and was much of an addition of the cloverleaf. Most of the ramps from the original cloverleaf still exist, but there have been more than 10 new ramps.[6]
References
- ^ Google (September 17, 2013). "Google Street View image of Cobb Cloverleaf" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ^ State Highway Department of Georgia (1960). State Highway System and Other Principal Connecting Roads (PDF) (Map) (1960–1961 ed.). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. OCLC 5673161. Retrieved February 26, 2020. (Corrected to June 1, 1960.)
- ^ State Highway Department of Georgia (1963). State Highway System and Other Principal Connecting Roads (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. OCLC 5673161. Retrieved February 26, 2020. (Corrected to June 1, 1963.)
- ^ State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1966). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ State Highway Department of Georgia (January 1967). Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Atlanta: State Highway Department of Georgia. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Microsoft; Nokia (September 17, 2013). "Cobb Cloverleaf" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved September 17, 2013.)