As 2011 comes to a close it's natural to look back and examine the biggest news stories of the year. There is certainly no shortage of huge news events from the Japanese Tsunami to the killing of Osama Bin Laden. In the traffic world, 2011 was a quite a year as well. Scanning my horrible memory, I took a look back at the year that was, and came up with this list of the top five traffic stories on 2011 in Atlanta.
5- Death of the I-75/I-575 Toll lane project
The $1 billion project was put officially put on ice by the DOT earlier this month. The proposed project would have added two reversible toll lanes along I-75 between I-575 and I-285 in Cobb County and one reversible toll lane along I-575 between Sixes Rd. and I-75. The transportation project would have been the state's largest and it would certainly have had a major impact on commuters in the northwest corridor. For now however, it appears to be a dead issue. Good news for its critics, bad news for those who welcomed the new lanes.
4- MARTA prices increase
In October Marta instituted price increases that impacted both occasional riders and daily users. The price of a one-way trip on Marta was raised from $2 to $2.50. Weekly passes increased from $17 to $23.75 and monthly passes jumped from $68 to $95. Marta said the price increases were necessary to help eliminate it's budget shortfall. It's still too early to tell what the impact of the price increase will have on ridership.
3- 17th Street Bridge Collapse
It was a hot Saturday night in August when commuters on the Downtown Connector experienced the unexpected. A 170-foot section of fencing and railing fell off of the famed 17th Street Bridge and tumbled onto the interstate below causing panic and major traffic delays. The big yellow bridge which opened with much fanfare in 2004 connecting Midtown and Atlantic Station, has since been repaired and an investigation into the cause has been completed. Luckily no one was hurt.
2- January Ice Storm
Two weeks into the year and the metro area was hit with a massive snow/ice storm. The freezing and re-freezing of the roads shut the metro area down for a whole week. Businesses closed, schools closed and many roads were closed. A lot of people were stuck at home, stranded and unable to leave the house. They were the lucky ones. Some folks were stuck in their cars on the freeways for over 24 hours! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
1- I-85 HOT-Express Lanes
This actually might be the biggest traffic story of the last 10 years, not just this year. The much anticipated, widely criticized HOT-Express Lanes along I-85 in Gwinnett and Dekalb Counties went into effect at the beginning of October. Their arrival sparked quite a reaction from commuters. After a horrible couple of days Governor Nathan Deal stepped in and slashed the toll prices in half. That decisive action really helped the transition for commuters. There have been some growing plans certainly, but the Express Lane is being used more and more each week as drivers find more carpool partners.
About the Author
