Hurricane Ian’s devastating landfall last Wednesday at 3:05 p.m. in Cayo Costa, FL took the attention of many people around the country, especially those who had just fled their homes. As the storm’s intensity pegged, so did the fear about property loss and the safety of those who chose to ride out Ian.
The stress of trip times and traffic volume pales in comparison to the anxiety of a storm striking home. But nonetheless, people fleeing the wrath of Ian got to experience — and helped contribute to — some big Atlanta traffic pattern changes last week.
On Tuesday afternoon, the WSB Traffic Team and I saw a half hour-plus backup on I-75/northbound on the south side. The delays stood mainly between Highway 16 (Exit 205) in Spalding County and Jodeco Road (Exit 222) in Henry County and I flew over that slow 20 mph chug. in the WSB Skycopter.
That stretch stayed dark red on our Triple Team Traffic Alerts App until at least after 8 p.m. Tuesday, and wrecks caused very little of that south side delay. It was all traffic-volume.
Once that traffic broke loose in Stockbridge, it started piling in on I-285 (Downtown Atlanta’s bypass) on both sides of Atlanta heading north to I-20. I-75/85/northbound was packed worse than normal from north of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and up GA-400/northbound into Buckhead, north of Downtown Atlanta. I-75/northbound stayed slow from where it splits northwest out of Midtown and stayed slow up to a longterm lane-shift at I-285 (Exit 259).
There was no question that Tuesday afternoon traffic in Atlanta was worse than normal or that evacuation patterns from Florida created that push.
In response to the flow, the state reversed the South Metro Peach Pass Express Lanes to hold northbound for the duration of the evacuation from the storm. This aided the I-75/northbound traffic a bit, but the jams started some 10 miles before the toll lanes begin. I-75/southbound was heavier than normal during PM drive Wednesday, since it didn’t have the normal rush hour aid that those Peach Pass lanes provide.
But that is the small price to pay to offer some relief for people potentially fleeing for their lives.
Unfortunately, any change in the traffic continuum tends to send people sideways. Literally. Tuesday afternoon saw a large number of scary rear-end and debris-scattering crashes, especially as speeding drivers ran into the back of delays they weren’t expecting. Of course, this just made the jams from the influx of travelers even worse.
Wednesday afternoon was not as chaotic, but there certainly were extra people on the Atlanta freeways, particularly I-285 and I-75/85. I-75/northbound in McDonough got a lot better as the brunt of the extra traffic pushed north and got ensnared on the Perimeter and the Downtown Connector.
Before charitable Georgians mobilize to deliver the needed water and supplies that the pummeled regions will need, hospitality to the storm-stricken can begin right on our roads. Leave some extra room and practice extra patience and caution while weary travelers try to navigate around a different city. They have a lot on their minds.
And most people reading this will be doing so as this traffic pattern reverses. As Ian begins churning up the east coast (that is the trajectory at press time), displaced Floridians will be heading home to see what remains. That will mean a lot of the places that saw extra traffic in the middle of last week will now see it the opposite way, creating the same, but unfamiliar phenomenon that makes commuting more dangerous.
For those that have fled Hurricane Ian, we welcome you to our city. Please rest and take comfort in Atlanta and drive safely. We care about you.
Doug Turnbull, the PM drive Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic on 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. He also hosts a traffic podcast with Smilin’ Mark McKay on wsbradio.com. Contact him at Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.
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