Everyone’s least favorite stretch of highway could be getting some upgrades soon, pending a study of potential ideas by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The downtown connector, long a thorn in the side of Atlantans making their commutes into midtown and downtown, could certainly use some form of traffic relief, the question though is what kind?
While ideas as unconventional as tunnels or double-decker bridges are among those being floated, a more realistic approach would likely be improvements to I-285 as an alternate route, widening of the existing road, or implementation of a commuter credit program which would incentivize commuters to avoid peak traffic periods.
The 7.5 mile connector carries upwards of 250,000 vehicles per day, making it one of the ten most congested stretches of road in the entire United States. Despite its heavy traffic, it has not seen major roadwork since 2010 when two new off ramps, (at 10th and 17th st.) were installed.
No mention of public transportation as a possible solution, which is a bit surprising considering some of the outlandish ideas being thrown around as possibilities. Is expansion of MARTA to help ease commuter traffic really more radical an idea than a tunnel beneath the city?
In any case, note these murmurings as the first step toward connector improvements as the city, (and state as a whole) continue in its effort to improve transportation infrastructure.
