It heads east as a four-lane freeway, concurrent with US 29, US 78, and SR 8, and crosses McNutt Creek to enter Clarke County and Athens as it meets a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 129, US 441 and SR 15, which includes a connection to Timothy Road to the north.

Those three routes join SR 10 Loop as it continues east and crosses the Middle Oconee River.

The freeway then curves to the northeast and intersects Milledge Avenue, where SR 15 Alternate begins, heading north from the interchange.

[6] After this intersection, SR 10 Loop crosses a Georgia shortline railroad[7] and turns to the northeast, where it meets College Station Road at a diamond interchange.

[8] Northeast of here, the highway crosses the North Oconee River and meets a folded diamond interchange with SR 10, which is Oconee Street west of the interchange and Lexington Road east of it.

At this interchange, US 78 splits from the highway and turns east, and its business route (US 78 Bus.)

Farther west, it intersects Dr Martin Luther King Jr Parkway and Commerce Road at a diamond interchange.

SR 10 Loop then curves in a southwesterly direction and crosses the North Oconee River again before coming to another diamond interchange, this one with Chase Street.

[6] SR 10 Loop continues southwest and crosses the CSX railroad again,[7] then dips to the north and intersects SR 15 Alternate, which is Prince Avenue south of the interchange and Jefferson Road north of it.

The freeway's next exit to the southwest is a diamond interchange with Tallassee Road and Oglethorpe Avenue.

[13][14] In 1976, SR 72 was indicated to be "projected mileage" from this point south to US 78/SR 10, then southwest and west to end at US 441/SR 15.

[17][18] The next year, the portion of the freeway between US 29/SR 8/SR 72 and US 78/SR 10 on the northeastern part was downgraded to a divided highway.

[18][19] In 1983, the final piece of the freeway on the southwestern part was indicated to be designated as SR 732 as projected mileage.

SR 72's western terminus was truncated to the far northeastern part of the city, at its current location.

In 2015, the entirety of Loop 10 was made a freeway with the upgrade of the at-grade junction at Peter Street and Olympic Drive to a partial cloverleaf interchange.

[34] The folded diamond interchange at SR 10 (Lexington Road/Oconee Street; Exit 8) is planned to be upgraded in 2025.