Report: Metro area has third-worst holiday traffic

By David Markiewicz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

You'd expect Atlanta traffic to stink over the Thanksgiving weekend -- it does the rest of the year, right?

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John Spink jspink@ajc.com The worst times to be on metro roads are 4 p.m. Wednesday, Noon Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday, on par with other cites on the list.

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Now, a new report says metro area congestion will rank third worst in the nation this holiday, behind only New York and Los Angeles. That's much higher than 11th, which is where INRIX Inc. rates Atlanta gridlock normally.

Atlanta's worse, the study says, because it's the "crossroads for the South," so non-local travelers pass through on their way to destinations throughout the region.

The worst times to be on metro roads are 4 p.m. Wednesday, Noon Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday, on par with other cites on the list.

The study also points out the Wednesday afternoon commute hotspots. In Atlanta, they include:

- I-285 East from Riverside Drive to US-23/Buford Hwy/Exit 32

- I-75 corridor South from I-85/Exit 103 past the airport to I-675/Exit 227

- US-23 South where it joins I-985 South.

- I-85 South where it intersects with GA 400/Exit 87, and North between Sugarloaf Parkway/Exit 108 and GA 20/Exit 115.

- GA 400 between I-85 and I-285

- GA 16 West where it intersects with Corinth Road.