Between June 1963 and the beginning of 1966, it was established from US 129/US 441 Temp./SR 15 in Athens north-northeast on Lumpkin Street, east-northeast on US 78/SR 8/SR 10 (Broad Street), north-northwest on Thomas Street with SR 8, curved to the north-northeast on Madison Avenue, and traveled northwest on Hobson Avenue. At US 29/US 441 Temp./SR 350, US 441 joined it in a concurrency. In Commerce, it split off of US 441 temporarily to the northeast and curved to the north-northwest to rejoin it at the spot where SR 98 also joined it. At an intersection with SR 15/SR 326, the alternate route ended. In 1966, the path of SR 8 in Athens was shifted northward onto the Athens freeway. Its former path through the city, partially on SR 15 Alt., was redesignated as SR 8 Bus.