The Georgia Department of Transportation has tips for motorists traveling during the Independence Day holiday weekend.
GDOT says based on trends from 2024, the heaviest traffic will hit metro Atlanta interstates from 12 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Sunday.
Moderate post-holiday congestion is expected from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday.
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Drivers will experience typical congestion from 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Want to avoid the rush? The state anticipates light to normal traffic on Friday, the actual holiday.
On surface streets, GDOT says heavy to normal traffic will likely begin in the late morning on Tuesday and continue through Thursday. Normal to light traffic is expected from Friday to Sunday, and better than normal traffic is expected from 3 to 6 p.m. on Monday.
Of course, in metro Atlanta, drivers should expect heavier traffic near and around popular tourist destinations, such as Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia Aquarium, Piedmont Park, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Six Flags Over Georgia, Zoo Atlanta and the Carter Center.
Express lanes in the south metro corridor have been tweaked to account for the holiday traffic, GDOT said. On Thursday morning, the lanes will transition northbound early. On Friday afternoon and evening, the south metro express lanes will be northbound instead of southbound.
Outside of metro Atlanta, GDOT expects the following routes to have light traffic:
- I-85 and I-185 in West Georgia near Alabama
- I-20 eastbound and westbound in west Georgia near Alabama
- I-85 in northeast Georgia near South Carolina
These routes will likely have moderate congestion:
- I-75 out of Atlanta into Stockbridge
- I-24 in northwest Georgia near Chattanooga
- I-75 in north Georgia near Chattanooga
- I-75 in South Georgia near Valdosta
- I-95 in southeast Georgia near Florida
The state expects these routes to have heavy traffic:
- I-16 in east Georgia near Savannah
- I-475, I-75 and I-16 in west Georgia near Macon
In an attempt to make your road trip as stress-free as possible, GDOT said it is suspending construction-related lane closures on Georgia interstates and state routes for the upcoming holiday travel period. This suspension of lane closures will begin at 12 p.m. Thursday until 10 p.m. Sunday.
However, GDOT says emergency lane closures may be necessary, and crews may have to work. Slow down and move over when crews are working.
GDOT encourages drivers to use 511GA or download the 511GA app to plan ahead of hitting the roads, in particular in areas where special events may alter normal traffic, including:
- Lawrenceville’s Prelude to the Fourth, Wednesday
- Savannah’s Independence Day Celebration,Friday
- Augusta’s Fourth of July Celebration, Thursday and Friday
- Atlanta’s AJC Peachtree Road Race, Friday
Drivers can select drive mode on the 511GA app to get audio alerts and contact 511 hands free.
GDOT reminds motorists to follow the rules of the road. This includes moving over for first responders if you can, don’t drive distracted, drive sober and avoid tailgating.
More holiday travel tips can be found at the GDOT website.
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