Thanksgiving travel rush: Roads are looking better

After the usual rough start to the Thanksgiving weekend, traffic started clearing up Wednesday evening for metro Atlanta drivers.

Major roads and interstates, including I-75 at I-285 in Cobb County, were improving after being clogged earlier, mostly with outbound traffic. The reverse will happen Sunday, as residents return home at the end of the holiday weekend.

About 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, northbound lanes on the Downtown Connector were clearing, Channel 2 Action News reported. Also, southbound lanes of I-75 were problem free.

Expect I-75 and a portion of I-85 to have the worst traffic, said Doug Turnbull, traffic reporter with News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB.

“I-75 both sides of town is hands down the worst,” Turnbull said. “I-85 in north Gwinnett will also be bad, especially in the work zone near the Mall of Georgia and where it drops to two lanes north of there.”

The best alternate route in northwest Atlanta is U.S. 41, Turnbull said. Also, Ga. 42 is the top alternate in Henry County.

“But as the freeway goes,” he said, “so do the alternates.”

If your schedule permits, leave early Thursday morning and consider returning a day early, Turnbull said. The freeways will be jammed Sunday, so “Saturday is a better bet (to return),” he said.

If it’s any consolation, the Georgia Department of Transportation has suspended construction-related lane closures on all interstates, heavily-traveled state routes and roadways near major shopping centers until 5 a.m. Monday.

For Peach Pass and other toll-road drivers, “the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes will be pointed southbound until Friday morning, when they will be flushed and then pointed northbound for return travelers,” Turnbull said.

Users with Florida SunPass or NC Quick Pass also can use the lanes.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.

In other news: