Going with the flow of traffic has long meant traveling well in excess of the 55 mph posted speed limit on I-285.
Now, at least for motorists on the south end of the Perimeter, the rules are finally changing to acknowledge that reality. Beginning Friday, the state Department of Transportation will officially raise the speed limit to 65 mph on a 27-mile stretch of the interstate below the I-20 interchanges.
“We believe I-285, which has as many as seven and no fewer than four travel lanes in each direction, can safely accommodate this increase and the new 65-mph speed will be more consistent with current driver expectations and behavior,” GDOT Chief Engineer Russell McMurry said in a press release.
Speeds on I-285 north of the I-20 interchanges will remain the same for now.
But by this time next year, electronic variable speed limit signs will be installed along the northern half of the Perimeter. After October 2014, the speed limit will range from 65 mph downward, depending on congestion.
The concept has been used successfully in other cities to help traffic move faster by reducing stop-and-go conditions that often result in crashes.
According to the GDOT, the changes come after “a careful, deliberate study of I-285 traffic volume and flow patterns.”
Road crews will begin uncovering the new speed limit signs beginning around noon Friday.
More than 260,000 vehicles drive I-285 each day, according to the Federal Highway Administration. If the system works, the Variable Speed Limit program could be expanded to other Atlanta highways such as the Downtown Connector.
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