Alabama US 280 terminates concurrently with
U.S. Route 31 (US 31) at
Interstate 20 (I-20)/
Interstate 59 (I-59) at the northern end of the
Red Mountain Expressway. After following US 31 to
Homewood, it turns off onto its own right-of-way, crossing
Interstate 459 and traversing
Double Oak Mountain before descending into the Coosa River Valley, where it serves
Harpersville,
Childersburg, and
Sylacauga. Outside Sylacauga, it becomes an expressway, crossing the southernmost extent of the Appalachian Mountains to
Alexander City. After crossing the
Tallapoosa River, it follows a rolling, curvy route through the
Lower Piedmont, bypassing the towns of
Jackson's Gap,
Dadeville,
Camp Hill, and
Waverly before entering the
Columbus Metropolitan Area. After bypassing
Auburn, it engages in a concurrency with
Interstate 85 in
Opelika before turning east in a concurrency with
US 431. It descends to
Phenix City before leaving US 431 and crossing the
Chattahoochee River into Georgia. US 280 has the unsigned designation of
Alabama State Route 38 (
SR 38) throughout its length in Alabama.
Georgia US 280 begins in Georgia at the state's border with
Alabama in
Columbus. There it is paired with
Georgia State Route 520 (SR 520) and
U.S. Route 27 (US 27). It maintains this designation as it passes through
Fort Benning. Upon arriving in
Cusseta, US 280/SR 520 diverge from US 27 and continue southeast to
Richland, where US 280 splits off from SR 520. US 280 continues east, passing through
Plains (the boyhood home of
Jimmy Carter) and becomes cosigned with
Georgia State Route 30 (SR 30) in
Americus. US 280/SR 30 then continue east-southeast, crossing
Interstate 75 (I-75) in
Cordele, still continuing east through mainly rural areas of the southern portion of the state, passing through smaller towns such as
McRae–Helena,
Mount Vernon,
Vidalia, and
Pembroke. The highway then turns to the northeast as it leaves Pembroke, crossing
Interstate 16 (I-16) at exit 143. Still continuing northeast, the highway then terminates in
Blichton at US 80.
National Highway System Except for the easternmost portion between I-16 and the eastern terminus, the entire length of US 280 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. ==History==