After the jaw-dropping announcement last week that the Atlanta Braves would be relocating to Cobb County in 2017, one of the most common concerns about the move centered around traffic. Everyone wanted to know, what would traffic be like heading to the new ballpark located to the north and west of the Interstate 75 and Interstate 285 interchange in Cobb County.
My answer? In all honestly, it’s too early to tell. I can tell you that traffic certainly won’t be any better in the area, but there is no way to predict yet, how bad it will get.
What I can estimate, with a certain amount of confidence, is which commuters will benefit from the move and which commuters won’t. Here are my list of winners and losers when it comes to traffic and the new stadium.
WINNERS:
Cobb, Cherokee and Bartow County commuters going to the game: Traveling southbound on I-75 and I-575 should be a breeze heading to the game. These folks are the true beneficiaries to the move.
Commuters that travel south on the Downtown Connector (I-75/85): evening rush hours on the Connector southbound won’t be great, but losing 81 extra days of Braves traffic will certainly help.
LOSERS:
Commuters in Gwinnett, Barrow and Jackson counties: I am really concerned about people on the northeast side of town getting to the game. I predict major delays on I-285 westbound heading between I-85 and I-75 on the north side of the perimeter. Those delays will also impact the trip down I-85 southbound.
Commuters in Rockdale and Dekalb counties: Again, I see I-285 being the biggest hurdle for drivers on the east side of town. They might be better off taking I-20 into downtown and then driving I-75 northbound.
Commuters in Clayton and Henry counties: They go from having one of the easiest trips to the ballpark, to one that could be rough depending on the delays on I-75 in northwest Atlanta.
Commuters in Cobb, Cherokee and Bartow counties driving home from downtown Atlanta: It seems logical that I-75 northbound will see extra delays approaching I-285. It remains to be seen how severe the delays will be.
TO BE DETERMINED:
Commuters in Forsyth and North Fulton counties: Highway 120 between Roswell and Marietta is the key factor here. If that road can handle the increase in Braves traffic, drivers that normally took 400 southbound to Turner Field will have an easier trip. If not, it could get ugly.
Commuters in Carroll and Douglas counties: The key question here is, what will traffic be like on the west side of I-285 heading north to I-75. My gut says, it won’t be too terrible. If that’s the case, west side commuters should do okay.
Commuters in Coweta and South Fulton counties: See above. As I-285 goes, so does this trip to the new ballpark. These south side travelers would also have the option of driving through downtown.
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