North Fulton County

Viral TikTok leads to GDOT changes on confusing I-285 exit

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Social media has long been a medium for people to get things done and now road construction can be added to that list.

After a TikTok video of a woman complaining about a confusing exit on I-285 and Georgia 400 in north Fulton County went viral, the Georgia Department of Transportation has made some changes.

GDOT officials say they added some new signs to make it clear which exit is coming up and drivers told Channel 2′s Justin Carter that it could make all the difference.

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Social media influencer Adabelle Buntrock posted a video on TikTok about her drive back in February.

“Literally, why is this the most complicated exit ever? It’s three exits in one. If you miss it, good luck. You’ll end up in Roswell. Don’t understand,” she can be heard saying in the viral video.

The video got nearly 800,000 views and the attention of GDOT.

Buntrock told Carter that it became confusing after GDOT blocked the Roswell Road exit for construction.

“When they changed that exit, I missed it, ended up in Riverside because the exits are so far apart. You add traffic to that, and that just adds another 30 minutes or so,” she explained.

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On Wednesday, GDOT replied with a TikTok of their own.

@gadeptoftransportation

New shifts, new signage, new updates! Kyle is here to break down the latest Transform 285/400 project updates.#georgia #drive #construction #tiptok #safety #new #ride #transportation

♬ This Is How We Roll - Florida Georgia Line

“285 westbound drivers, things should be much simpler after a traffic shift this past weekend,” the man in the video says.

The video goes on to say a new sign that GDOT says is larger will better inform drivers on which lanes they need to be in to hit their exit on time.

Reggie Bass is hoping it changes his commute, because he’s currently frustrated every day.

“Today was just a mess. You have cars merging on, cars merging off. Everyone’s driving what I consider bipolar aggressive,” he said. “They need to do something to speed this process up.”

Once complete, the process is intended to reduce congestion and enhance safety for drivers.

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GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale said in an e-mail that the project is scheduled to be complete by early 2023.

They say the project was scheduled to be complete by 2020, but they say supply chain issues, expanded scope and weather caused the delays.

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