It gives many interstate travelers their first, and sometimes only, glimpse of Augusta.

It is the gateway to the city's most famous landmark, the Augusta National Golf Club.

No matter where you live in Augusta, chances are you'll find yourself somewhere on Washington Road at least once during your daily routine. The street's busiest sections see more than 32,000 cars each day, making it the place businesses want to be.

With its abundance of fast food restaurants, retail shopping centers and convenience stores all advertised by flashy signs and billboards, Washington Road is often seen as Augusta's "strip." JIM BLAYLOCK/FILE

"I hate to use the term 'no brainer,"' said Mark Cumins, the owner of the T-Bonz steakhouse chain, which has operated a location on Washington Road for more than a decade. "There are some very good (commercial) areas in Augusta, but as far as I'm concerned, Washington Road is the best."

On weekends, hordes of Fort Gordon soldiers head for Washington Road's endless stream of motels, walking or taking cabs to and from nearby bars and clubs. Families and couples can be found on most days waiting outside the many "casual dining" chains that have come to typify Washington Road restaurant fare.

The rhythm changes only twice a year: once when tens of thousands of visitors attend the Masters Tournament the first week of April; and again during the summer, when teenagers cruise the boulevard and loiter in the parking lots of its shopping centers.

In many ways, Washington Road is not unlike "the strip" that is found in most cities, with its glut of fast food restaurants, strip malls and convenience stores, all with flashy signs and giant billboards screaming for attention.

"Every town has its Washington Road," said Bryan Haltermann, an Augusta real estate developer and historic preservation activist. "... It's the acid rock of architecture."

As the biggest, busiest and brightest street in town, Washington Road is often used as an example of the negative trappings of major thoroughfares.

"I've heard people say Tobacco Road is going to be the next Washington Road," Mayor Bob Young said. "So there are a lot of comparisons made to Washington Road."

Garish or not, Washington Road accounts for thousands of jobs and millions in sales taxes - exactly how much is unknown. But the typical chain restaurant employs as many as 70, while major retailers such as a Kmart or Wal-Mart can employ more than 150.

The street is almost an economy unto itself.

"Washington Road is our No. 1 one route, as I'm sure it is for most of our competitors," said John Herman, the vice president of beer wholesaler Beverage South Inc. "You would be hard pressed to figure out a No. 2."

Heavy traffic, the key to Washington Road's success as a commercial strip, also threatens the viability of many sections of the street. Many in the commercial real estate industry say the underutilized Washington Crossing shopping center, for example, suffers from too much traffic.

The shopping center that formerly housed Jumbo Sports as its anchor tenant has its main access point, which has no traffic signal, just a few hundred feet from the congested Interstate 20 interchange.

The property was touted in the 1970s as the premier site for a shopping mall. It was developed by the now-defunct discount department store retailer J.M. Fields after other sites were chosen for the city's two malls.

Washington Road still has gridlock problems despite attempts to alleviate traffic by developing River Watch Parkway more than a decade ago.

"Just imagine what it would be like without River Watch Parkway," said Larry Rogers, a district engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Washington Road's other weakness is its age. Although there have been major reinvestments in properties such as the National Hills and West Town shopping centers, many other properties developed in the 1960s and 1970s are looking dated.

Sections of other major traffic arteries, such as Gordon Highway and Peach Orchard and Deans Bridge roads, have become blighted as skittish developers turned their sights on west Richmond County and Columbia County.

But many business leaders remain bullish on Washington Road because they say the ingredients that have made the street what it is today are not likely to change soon.

"I think you'll see Washington Road continue to grow outward to Columbia County, and that which is inward will be recycled," said Mike Graybill, owner of Graybill & Associates, a commercial real estate brokerage. "The property itself will remain high in value and highly desirable."

Reach Damon Cline at (706) 823-3486 or dcline@augustachronicle.com.