The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced Tuesday that Independence Day travelers would not be delayed by construction on Georgia roads during this year’s holiday.
GDOT announced that the department will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes from Friday, June 30 from 12 p.m. until 5 a.m. Wednesday, July 5.
🚗🎆 Traveling for 4th of July weekend in Georgia? Here's some good news! GDOT is temporarily halting lane closures to make your journey smoother.
Check out the best and worst travel days to plan your trip accordingly. ➡️ https://t.co/jynYuqU4US pic.twitter.com/we6mYPJVeK
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) June 28, 2023
The department notes, however, that travelers should “exercise caution as crews may still work near highways, and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place.”
“In addition, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route,” GDOT adds.
GDOT’s construction halt comes as the American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts that a “record number” of more than 1.6 million Georgians will journey 50 miles or more during Memorial Day weekend, an increase of 68,000 travelers from last year’s holiday. Of the 1.6 million, approximately 1.4 million are expected to take a road trip instead of flying or utilizing other modes of transportation.
Nationally, AAA estimates that approximately 50.7 million Americans will travel for the holiday weekend – nearly 2.1 million more travelers than last year’s holiday and almost 1.8 million more than the previous high, set back in 2019.
“Independence Day weekend appears to be the continuation of what has already been a very strong summer travel season,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group.
The busiest day on the road, according to both GDOT and AAA, is expected to be Friday, June 30, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Commuters traveling during this time should anticipate adding approximately 30-45 minutes to their travel time,” GDOT explains.
In Metro Atlanta, there is expected to be moderate congestion on interstates Thursday, June 29, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, July 1, from noon to 6 p.m., and Wednesday, July 5, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The days anticipated to experience the lightest traffic on Metro Atlanta interstates are July 2, July 3, and July 4.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network.
Photo ” Leaving ATL Airport I-75 I-20 I-85 Overhead” by formulanone. CC BY 2.0.
