The Georgia Department of Transportation restricted or suspended construction in some areas to limit traffic headaches caused by Monday's total eclipse.
It wasn’t enough for some Atlanta motorists. Some complained to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about long delays as they returned to the city Monday evening.
GDOT estimated some 53,000 motorists would be heading to northeast Georgia, which was in the path of the total eclipse. So it restricted construction-related road closures in Rabun, White, Habersham, Towns and Union counties. It also sent additional HERO and CHAMP units to assist motorists.
GDOT also suspended construction-related activities in the Atlanta area from noon to 7 p.m. Monday.
But that wasn’t late enough for some motorists.
“I hope this email finds you off the roads of Atlanta, with eclipse glasses safely tucked away for future use,” one reader wrote me just before 10 p.m. “I however, find myself on 85 south, which is experiencing a total eclipse via construction trucks in the far three left lanes.
"There are currently 2 lanes open of an available 6 possible lanes, which means that we are not experiencing totality, but a mere 66.667% cover," she continued. "I was hoping Atlanta could step up to the plate for the events of today, but they have seemingly struck out. Perhaps your pen can be the voice of all of us stranded motorists who have been in the car for 4 plus hours coming home from Rabun County."
She wasn’t alone. Another reader Tweeted:
“Thousands of cars impacted starting at 7 p.m. when we drove back to Atlanta thru Dawsonville. Was terrible. Angry motorists for sure.”
Meanwhile, the afternoon commute in Atlanta was fairly light in some areas. Seems we transferred our usual miserable Monday to the mountains this week.
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