ATLANTA — Ahead of Labor Day weekend and what’s expected to be busy traffic and congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending all lane closures on the Georgia Interstate and state routes starting at noon on Friday.
According to GDOT, the heaviest traffic volumes are expected on Sept. 1.
Lane closures will be halted until 5 a.m. on Sept. 2, according to the department.
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While the closed lanes mean a lot of construction work will be paused, some crews will still be out on the roads working near highways.
GDOT said in addition to some construction work, safety concerns related to Hurricane Idalia might also keep some lane closures in place and urged drivers to be careful.
“While construction-related lane closures will be suspended, the department reminds travelers to exercise caution as crews may still work near highways, and safety concerns associated with Hurricane Idalia may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place,” GDOT said in a statement. “In addition, incident management, emergency or maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route.”
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To help prepare for the busy traffic days, GDOT provided a seven-day travel forecast for the metro Atlanta area.
According to GDOT, the following travel forecast is based on historical traffic volumes for previous Labor Day weekends.
“Georgia DOT’s 7-day travel forecast for metro Atlanta interstates this holiday weekend indicates the heaviest traffic volumes will occur on Friday, Sept. 1. Motorists can expect to add approximately 30 - 45 minutes to their travel times,” GDOT said. “Moderate traffic is predicted on Wednesday, Aug. 30 and Thursday, Aug. 31. Light to normal traffic is expected on both Sunday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 4.”
The transport department said that, outside of the metro Atlanta, historical Labor Day Weekend travel data from 2022 for major interstates have shown the following trends:
- I-20 eastbound congestion entering metro Atlanta; westbound congestion exiting the city towards Alabama.
- I-75 is predicted to have heavy congestion southbound and northbound coming out of Atlanta in Stockbridge.
- I-85 and I-185 congestion in West Georgia (near Alabama).
- I-24 eastbound congestion in Northwest Georgia (near Chattanooga).
- I-16 westbound congestion exiting Savannah and I-16 eastbound congestion entering Savannah.
GDOT reiterated their safety concerns due to higher traffic volumes, too. Citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GDOT said the federal agency estimated there were 42,795 traffic deaths from crashes in 2022.
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