Doom. Jams. Profound delays.
These were some of the descriptions over the last couple of weeks by the WSB Traffic Team and me — and by GDOT — as Metro Atlanta braced for I-285 being reduced to three lanes in Sandy Springs for eight months. “I-285 Gridlock: Game of Cones” began last weekend on the eastbound side, where only three lanes are open and shifted to the right, while crews tediously rebuild the I-285 bridges of Glenridge Drive, GA-400, and Peachtree Dunwoody Road.
The weekend of October 8th and 9th would prove rough in just setting up the closure of the left lane or two in that stretch. But the first rush hour test was Monday morning, Columbus Day. With the holiday taking traffic off all roads, the real test was to be Tuesday, because many returned to work and school.
How did Atlanta traffic react to the big change in its first few tests? WSB Triple Team Traffic covered this from all angles, around the clock.
WSB Skycopter reporter Smilin’ Mark McKay flew over this years-long work zone both mornings.
“It’s been a pleasant surprise, as we’ve seen minimal delays where the lanes have been reduced thanks in large part to traffic being put onto GA-400 well before where the bridge work will take place,” McKay said after a wild, rainy Thursday morning commute. He referred to the new ramps to Roswell Road, Glenridge, GA-400, and Ashford Dunwoody - all of which start far earlier than before and channel off a large portion of I-285 traffic.
GDOT and North Perimeter Contractors wanted those new ramps all in place before they began the lane-reductions, which is one reason why they delayed this for one year.
Ashley Frasca, a longtime morning reporter in WSB’s 24-Hour Traffic Center, kept scanning the WSB Jam Cams in that area for any backups and found few, if any, she said. And this is despite some rainy rush hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Drivers have handled the new I-285/eastbound lane restrictions at GA-400 very well,” AM and PM drive reporter Alex Williams explained. “I think they have listened to us and taken our advice of alternate routes. Delays have not been as bad as expected – unless we see a crash in that area, then it backs up rather quickly.”
Williams brings up a good point: drivers have responded well. Enough people have stayed off that stretch to ease the load. And we have not noticed the alternate routes jamming up all that badly either.
AM drive and midday reporter Veronica Harrell echoed Williams’ sentiments about when problems occur in the narrower lanes.
“Those eastbound lanes near GA-400 got stupid when there was road work just ahead of it at Chamblee Dunwoody. Traffic moved slower in those lanes Wednesday than it would have before,” Harrell said. But she concurred with everyone else: outside of an incident or construction, traffic has moved far better than expected in that zone.
We also expected a big jam for the crowds leaving last Tuesday NLDS-opening game, a sell out crowd set to adjourn in the middle of PM drive. The game ended about 5 p.m. and traffic did get really bad on I-285 and I-75 near Truist Park. But, as I watched the I-285/eastbound (Inner Loop) lanes near GA-400 from the Skycopter, they never got all that slow after the game. Those lanes also moved even better last week than in past PM drives before the lane-reductions.
We did not predict such peace.
But more interruptions are on the near horizon. The state had slated to reduce the I-285/westbound (Outer Loop) lanes as soon as this past weekend (October 15th and 16th). But weather and other factors are delaying that at least another week, GDOT told WSB’s Mike Shields.
Shields predicted both on Channel 2 Action News and in our conversations about the project that the westbound closures will be more impactful, especially in morning drive. But the new ramps in that direction to Ashford Dunwoody, Peachtree Dunwoody, and GA-400 will also start before the closures and should have some of the same effect that we have seen on the other side of the wall.
The measures that many people took to ease the I-285/eastbound (Inner Loop) pain can also soothe the coming root canal on I-285/westbound. Take alternates (I-85/southbound to I-75/northbound in Midtown being the biggest), work remotely, and be patient. All of this helps - just a little bit at a time.
Do not get complacent about this months-long shrinkage of I-285. Traffic can get crazy on nights and weekends, when crews need to block extra lanes. Check our Triple Team Traffic Alerts App and 95.5 WSB before hitting the road. If too many people ease up and start taking the Northside Perimeter, then the delays will compound quickly. Stick to the good plan that has gotten us through the first week of “I-285 Gridlock: Game of Cones”. Doing so will help erase that dirty g-word in the title.
Doug Turnbull, the PM drive Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic on 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. He also hosts a traffic podcast with Smilin’ Mark McKay on wsbradio.com. Contact him at Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.
About the Author
