Monday's rain stalled plans to open an extra lane of southbound Ga. 400, while commuters farther east marked one week of driving through the state's first diverging diamond interchange.
The Georgia Department of Transportation said roadwork to convert the far right auxiliary lane of Ga. 400 into a permanent through lane will have to wait until at least Wednesday night.
"The hope is to work Wednesday evening so it can be in place Thursday morning," DOT spokeswoman Jill Goldberg said.
Plans call for converting nine miles of the auxiliary lanes into active lanes for southbound traffic from McFarland Parkway in Forsyth County to Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell. The lanes, which currently run from entrance ramp to exit ramp, will be re-striped to continue alongside the other lanes.
Crews plan to adjust signs and re-stripe the first section, from Haynes Bridge Road to Mansell Road, this week.
Unlike the shoulder lanes opened farther south last month for weekday morning rush-hour traffic, the auxiliary lanes will be open to traffic at all times.
Meanwhile, in Dunwoody, drivers appear to have figured out the lane shifts of the new interchange at I-285 and Ashford Dunwoody Road, which opened June 3. The diverging diamond channels street traffic into the left lanes of the overpass to ease left turns onto the freeway.
Dunwoody police say initial confusion seems to have abated, and no accidents or incidents have been reported.
"The traffic is not backing up on Ashford Dunwoody like it did in the past," Dunwoody Police Sgt. Mike Carlson said.
A YouTube video set up to give drivers a visualization of the traffic flow has almost gone viral. Prior to the interchange's opening, the site had 1,000 views. As of Monday, it had climbed to 32,000.
Not all commuters like the new design.
Dunwoody resident Linda Chappell, who takes Ashford Dunwoody on her way to work, said the lane shift adds complexity to her commute. Merging onto westbound I-285, she said, takes about the same amount of time, but she must now be on guard for other merging traffic.
David Purcell, chief operating officer with the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, said the DOT has been fine-tuning the timing on signals, and traffic flow appears to have improved. The CIDs proposed the revolutionary design three years ago and have committed more than $100,000 to the $5.5 million project.
Purcell said westbound drivers exiting north onto Ashford Dunwoody Road continue to complain of difficulty maneuvering over to make a left turn onto Hammond Drive.
"We're having to do some study and re-evaluation of how we're going to accommodate that," he said.
On the eastbound exit ramp, Purcell said the separate lane channeling onto Lake Hearn Drive will be restored within the next two weeks.
Work continues on the pedestrian walkway through the center of the overpass, which is scheduled for completion in about a month, Goldberg said.
About the Author
