Q: I often drive I-20 westbound through DeKalb County approaching Panola Road. Traffic in this area always seems to slow down and get congested until after Panola Road. What causes this and what, if anything, can be done about it?
— Steven Gresham, Cumming
A: Traffic volume likely is the primary cause of the congestion along that stretch of I-20.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is “evaluating the feasibility of an operational improvement project to install ramp meters in both the east and westbound directions from Wesley Chapel Road to Sigman Road,” a spokeswoman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Ramp meters, which are similar to traffic signals, are placed on entrance ramps to “regulate the frequency of vehicles entering the highway,” GDOT states on its website.
This could help traffic flow, but the spokeswoman wrote that GDOT needs to first enlarge its fiber network to cover the area, which would be costly.
“… (GDOT) is actively investigating other methods to control the operation of a ramp meter at a lower cost with an easier installation impact,” she wrote.
Q: Is the female voice on the Southwest Airlines commercial that says “Oh yes, that’s transfarency,” the same one that was on “Oh yes, we’re going to house?”
— Jerry Nichols, Duluth
A: Actress Rashida Jones provided the voiceover for both commercials.
“She has been with us since 2014, and what you heard before, regarding ‘Take it to the house,’ was her voice in a local Atlanta advertisement for Southwest, which was on air earlier this year,” Helen Limpitlaw, Southwest’s director of advertising, told Q&A on the News in an email.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
