GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — On Monday, it’ll be a little easier for Gwinnett County residents to get into the metro Atlanta area despite last week’s I-85 bridge collapse.
“We really wanted to find a quicker way to get people into downtown,” said Alan Chapman, Gwinnett transportation director.
The advice should be welcomed by many folks who say it’s been a nightmare to drive to work in Atlanta.
“We've added feeder routes into the MARTA train system, and we'll be taking riders from our park & ride lots to the Doraville and Chamblee stations,” Chapman said.
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The goal is to ease the congestion in the MARTA station parking lots. Officials hope the new bus routes encourage more people to use the public transit system.
“The MARTA trains have the capacity to carry more people,” Chapman said.
Gwinnett officials have never had to make these kinds of changes before, but they said they’re prepared to do it again.
“This is really a first for us. It's hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have GDOT have such a bridge collapse as this,” Chapman said.
Officials aren’t sure how or if this will affect their budget, but they’ve already reached out for help.
“We are working with the federal government and we have spoken to the state about receiving assistance for any additional cost that we may incur,” Chapman said.
Cox Media Group
