Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is again rejiggering the route for drivers headed to the domestic terminal as part of an ongoing roadway construction project.
The next phase of the roadway construction project starts Friday, weather permitting. Motorists coming from the north will take a new three-lane road to the airport. That will replace the two-lane S-curve detour that has been in place since December, and will eliminate a narrow merging intersection that caused congestion during construction.
With the change, “the worst of the traffic congestion will be behind us,” Miguel Southwell, the airport’s interim general manager, said in a written statement.
Travelers should be alert for the new traffic pattern, and the trip from the I-85 southbound exit to the terminal will continue to take about twice as long as it did before the construction began — five to six minutes instead of two to three minutes.
The $60 million roadway construction project that started in 2012 still has a ways to go, with completion expected by the end of this year. It was originally expected to be complete this summer.
Ultimately, the goal is to widen roads, improve weaving conditions and signs to avoid backup, blockage and delays on the roads to the terminal.
