Follow that? To make sense of traffic reports and to understand your fellow motorists, you'll need to know these terms. Otherwise, you can stick a fork in it!

1. Top End
2. The Dunwoody Family
3. Cobb Cloverleaf
4. Alpharetta Autobahn
5. Pill Hill / Glenridge Conn.
6. Spaghetti Junction
7. Northwest Expressway
8. Brookwood Interchange
9. Northeast Expressway
10. Grady Curve
11. Downtown Connector
12. East Freeway
13. West Freeway
14. Langford Parkway
15. Southern Crescent

Auto flambé — A car fire. Traffic reporter Capt. Herb Emory (WSB) frequently uses this term.

BATmobile — Blood Alcohol Testing mobile unit. Georgia owns three of these vehicles, which have holding cells and a Breathalyzer machines, and are used to set up efficient DUI roadblocks. BATmobiles are a part of the state's "Operation Zero Tolerance" program.

Brookwood Interchange — Where I-75 southbound and I-85 southbound join and, going northbound on the Downtown Connector, where the two highways split. The interchange is named for the neighborhood that lies directly between 85 and 75.
Map of the Brookwood Interchange

Buckhead Loop — Road that arcs from Piedmont Road across Georgia 400 to Peachtree Road. It runs along the south side of Phipps Plaza. (a.k.a. State Route 141 Connector)
Map of the Buckhead Loop

Buford Connector — The southernmost part of Buford Highway, which runs from Sidney Marcus Boulevard to Peachtree Street.
Map of the Buford Connector (in green)

"car far" — A car fire. Some traffic reporters like to put on a heavy Southern accent and throw out this term.

Cobb Cloverleaf — Interchange of I-75 and I-285 on the northwest side of the Perimeter, in Cobb County.
Map of the Cobb Cloverleaf

The Connector — see Downtown Connector

Cruise Cards — An electronic device placed on the windshield that allows motorists to pass through the toll plaza on Georgia 400 without stopping. Sensors at the toll plaza monitor when a motorist passes by and charges 50 cents to the account of the cruise card holder.

Downtown Connector -- — The stretch of highway at which I-75 and I-85 are together. (a.k.a. The Connector) The northernmost exit on the Connector is 10th Street/14th Street and the southernmost exit on the Connector is Langford Parkway.

The Dunwoody Family — Chamblee-Dunwoody, Peachtree-Dunwoody and Ashford-Duwoody roads, collectively; a very heavily traveled part of DeKalb County.
Example: "A head-on collision on Mount Vernon Highway has the entire Dunwoody Family snarled."

East Freeway — I-20 from downtown through the east side of metro Atlanta. Also called "East Expressway."

East - West Connector — Connects Town Center mall near Kennesaw to the Cumberland Mall area in southeast Cobb. It is designed to give commuters from west Cobb quicker access to I-75. (Not to be confused with The Connector or the East and West expressways)

Financial Center Tunnel — The passage of Georgia 400 under the Atlanta Financial Center in Buckhead.
Map of the Financial Center Tunnel

Freedom Parkway — Parkway running from the Downtown Connector to Ponce de Leon Avenue. The Carter Center is accessible via the Freedom Parkway.
Map of the Freedom Parkway

Glenridge Connector — A short, but highly trafficked road that encircles Pill Hill. It runs from Peachtree-Dunwoody Road to I-285 and then become Glenridge Drive. (a.k.a. The 407 Loop).
Map of the Glenridge Connector

Grady Curve — The curve of the Downtown Connector as it circumvents downtown's central business district. When you are halfway into the Grady Curve, you'll see Grady Hospital to the west.
Map of the Grady Curve

HERO — Highway Emergency Response Operator. Operated by the Georgia Dept. of Transportation, HERO units travel metro Atlanta roads to clear the roads following traffic incidents to restore normal traffic flow. If you are in a wreck on the highway or your car stalls, a HERO unit will arrive quickly on the scene.

Inner Loop — The inside lanes of I-285. They're going east on the top end and west on the South-side.
See also: Outer Loop; The Perimeter.

Jesus Junction — The intersection of Peachtree, East Wesley and West Wesley roads, where there are four large churches — Cathedral of St. Philip (Episcopal), Christ the King (Catholic), Second Ponce de Leon (Baptist) and Covenant (Presbyterian).
Map of Jesus Junction

Lane Ranger — Joey Ledford, a columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering traffic issues.
Read Lane Ranger columns
E-mail the Lane Ranger

Langford Parkway — This road was formerly called Lakewood Freeway. It runs west from the Downtown Connector to I-285 and then becomes Campbellton Road.

Marietta Loop — An unofficial name for the 120 Loop. Together, the North Marietta Parkway and the South Marietta Parkway encircle the center of Marietta.

Northeast Expressway — I-85 from downtown through the northeast side of metro Atlanta.

Northern Arc — A proposed road project that would create a 50-mile highway from Bartow to Gwinnett counties and provide a vital east-west link north of I-285. The cost, benefits, exact route and the project as a whole are very controversial topics.

Northwest Expressway — I-75 from downtown through the northwest side of metro Atlanta.

"Oh my achin' toe!" — When traffic is particularly brutal, you'll hear traffic reporter Capt. Herb Emory holler this on WSB radio.

Operation Zero Tolerance — A state-run program created to reduce drunk driving in Georgia. The 15-month program run by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety began July 1, 2000.

Outer Loop — The outside lanes of I-285. They're going west on the top end and east on the Southside.
See also: Inner Loop; The Perimeter.

The Perimeter — I-285, the 62.77-mile Interstate that circles Atlanta. Runs through four metro counties — Cobb, Fulton, Clayton and DeKalb.
Example: "Oh, my achin' toe! I-85 Northbound is backed up all the way from Turner Field to the Perimeter!"

Pill Hill — Sandy Springs area near the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and the Glenridge Connector. So named for the sprawling medical complex there, which includes Northside Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta and Children's Health Care of Atlanta. Avoid this area if you don't enjoy traffic jams.

Southern Crescent — Vague term referring to the southern region of Atlanta, including Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Fayette and Henry counties.

"Stick a fork in it!" — Keith Kalland would yell this when referring to a particularly guesome traffic jam. This reference compares a congested road to a well-cooked piece of meat -- done.
Example: "If you're on the the Top End Perimeter heading west, stick a fork in it! A crash at the Glenridge Connector has turned the whole area into a parking lot!"

Sunshine Slowdown — The effect of sunlight directly in motorists' eyes. As drivers go east on I-20 in the morning, the sunrise causes a glare limiting visibility. Those same commuters face sunshine slowdown again, going home in the evening.

Spaghetti Junction — I-85 at I-285. One of Atlanta's most appropriately nicknamed landmarks. A soaring tangle of over- and underpasses, on-ramps and exits. You probably drove in, around or over it to get here. (a.k.a. Tom Moreland Interchange).

Stone Mountain Freeway — An unofficial term for U.S. 78 where it's controlled-access like a freeway. Drive east long enough, and you'll be on Stone Mountain Highway, which is the official name of U.S. 78 through Snellville.

Tom Moreland Interchange — see Spaghetti Junction.

Top End — The northern segment of I-285 from I-75 to I-85. This is the most congested part of the Perimeter.

West Freeway — I-20 from downtown through the west side of metro Atlanta. Also called "West Expressway."

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