The original turn of US 20 in Jesup became so accident-prone after the highway was paved in 1922 (as IA 5) that the Highway Commission had a special project to create a curve in the road in 1929. That curve, seen above, exists to this day, although it’s no longer part of a highway.
Earlier this year, news came that the curve was in danger of being vacated by the city and sold to the owner of the adjoining land that includes Jesup’s former grocery store, which closed in 2019.* This caught the eye the Historic Route 20 Association, which raised awareness online about the historic character of the road. (I contributed some information, but I also figured it was a done deal. Shows what I know.)
Monday night, the Jesup City Council decided not to proceed with vacating the road, KCRG reports. That means the concrete curve will stay intact — for now, anyway.
*Jesup’s newspaper followed the grocery store at the end of 2021. Here’s the goodbye note from the editor.